From Now On
by nickelplated
Summary: When an opportunity arises that they can't pass up, Klaus and Violet fly clear across the country with their new invention in hopes of making a better future for their family, but Violet plans to have a little fun along the way. Klaus quickly comes to know the truth of his feelings toward Violet, but determining if she feels the same proves a little bit trickier. Klaus/Violet
1. Chapter 1

Reaching over the armrest that divided their seats, Violet squeezed Klaus's hands, which he had clenched together so hard that his knuckles were turning white. Her touch pulled his attention out of himself momentarily.

"You know," she said in a voice meant to reassure, "they say that you are more likely to get attacked by a shark than to die in a plane crash."

"Well," he answered, remaining ramrod straight in his seat, eyes forward and glued to the seat back in front of him. "That might be true if I were near the ocean, but since we're actually in a plane 35,000 feet above the earth right now, falling from the sky seems a lot more likely."

Violet gave a little huff of a laugh and shook her head at him. "Well, I think it's wonderful." No doubt her mechanically gifted mind was turning cartwheels at riding in a jet clear across the country. She leaned her forehead against the window but didn't take her hand from over his. "Look, Klaus," she tried to distract him. "All you can see is clouds and sunshine. It's beautiful." She leaned back and pointed, but he was definitely not interested.

"No, thank you." He checked his seatbelt buckle for the umpteenth time. Violet reached into their shared carry-on bag and pulled a book out, handing it to him.

"Want to read?" The book he'd brought was a travel guide to San Francisco which happened to be their current destination. "It might take your mind off of the flight and you can tell me all about the city."

He spared a glance at his sister, who was smiling patiently at him. He forced himself to smile back, though tight-lipped, and took the book from her, keeping it closed on his lap.

"I'm sorry you're uncomfortable, Klaus, but you know this was the only way to get to California in the amount of time that we had. This interview is very important to me, to both of us. Maybe a once in a lifetime chance." Her voice was wistful.

Klaus took a deep breath, trying to gain control over his fear. This was his first flight ever and he hadn't even realized he was afraid of flying until this death contraption began to taxi down the runway. "I know. I'm glad to get to come with you." He grabbed her hand and pulled it back over to his side of the armrest, clutching hers as tightly as he had clutched his own. The whole reason he was doing this was to support Violet. She had worked for months on her wonderful invention and now Omega Tech, one of the highest rated technology companies in the country, was interested.

"If this works out, Klaus," she said quietly, introspectively, looking away out of the window again, "maybe we won't have to worry about money so much. We could buy a house, pay our debts, take Sunny and Beatrice to the doctor when they're sick, send them to a better school."

Klaus nodded. He understood completely. The day they had inherited their so-called fortune, the siblings had been in for a huge surprise, and it wasn't a huge pile of money. What Mr. Poe had considered a fortune had been barely enough to cover legal fees and their cost of living for several years. Klaus had often wondered since then how their lives might have turned out differently if someone had just told Count Olaf how much money, or how little might be a better way to put it, was in their account. Surely he wouldn't have even bothered.

So Klaus and Violet had been frugal. They had gone without for so long now that Klaus wasn't sure what he would do with a fortune if it happened to fall in his lap. Taking care of the girls would be top priority, of course, but they had all fared well in the health department so far. He mentally crossed his fingers. He wasn't sure what he wanted.

"You could go to college," Violet said quietly. She would spend all of her money on her family and never stop twice to think about it.

"We'll see." Klaus squeezed her fingers, then chuckled. "You could go to college."

Violet nodded. "Yeah, maybe I will. We could go together. Then you could help me with all my English assignments."

Klaus liked that idea. He leaned his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes, relaxing fractionally. He tried to ease his grip on Violet's fingers but just couldn't. He imagined them enrolling in classes together, picking up the girls from school on their way home from class. He thought about what it might feel like to have their own home, somewhere that was all theirs, safe, at a dining table strewn with textbooks, sitting across from Violet into the wee hours of morning, reading and studying. He knew his fantasy was lame, but it involved his favorite things- learning and Violet.

The flight was long, but it was non-stop, so Klaus only had to endure the one take-off and landing. Severe pressure began to build in his sinuses during the plane's descent. Reaching under his glasses to press his fingers hard into his forehead and eyebrows didn't help alleviate the stinging throb. He hated it when his ears popped and that didn't help either. He could only close his eyes tight, clench his teeth, and endure the pain.

"It's almost over," he heard Violet say, but the pain kept him from answering. She rubbed his upper arm comfortingly. "I can see the ground and it's close." But it was another 15 minutes before the plane's wheels bumped and screeched against the runway tarmac. Klaus fought heavily against the urge to throw up, breathing deeply in the aftermath of his acute headache. The sharp pain was gone, but tears prickled his eyes and he quickly rubbed them away. He definitely hated flying. When the plane came to a complete stop at the gate, when the lights flicked on and the seatbelt sign flicked off, and every passenger on the plane stood at once to queue for the door, Klaus could finally give Violet a genuine smile.

"You made it!" said Violet.

"We made it!" he agreed, grabbing the carry-on bag from between Violet's feet and joining the rest of the passengers as they made their way off the plane, down the gangway, all following the signs that led them to baggage claim. On their way out of the airport, they passed many shops and restaurants, with their smells of cooking meat and bread, and Klaus found that he was pretty hungry, having skipped out on the in-flight meal due to fear of throwing up. Violet noticed him looking longingly at the foods on display as they passed, but they both knew they had to be careful with the money they had brought with them.

"Hey," she said, pulling him by his upper arm, "I'm a little worried about the suitcase. Let's see if it made it here, then we can make some plans for the evening, okay?" Her invention was in the suitcase and naturally she would be anxious about it.

"Of course," he agreed, not wanting her to feel bad for him. "I'm fine." The flight's baggage took an interminable amount of time to start rotating on the belt. "I guess we'll grab a taxi and drop off our stuff at the hostel, then maybe walk around town?" he suggested, careful not to mention how hungry he was.

"Yes, the hostel is supposed to be very close to Fisherman's Wharf. I'm sure there'll be any number of places to eat." Violet knew him anyway. They had talked over the schedule before making their plane reservations and had arrived several days early to the interview on purpose. Violet had said she wanted to have a proper vacation, especially as neither of them had ever been to the west coast. Violet dug around in her bag and surreptitiously pulled out some money, giving half of the bills to Klaus.

"Where did you get this?" he asked, shoving it back at her.

"It's just a little I pulled out of the savings." She pushed his hand back. "No, you keep half. That way we both have some in case of an emergency."

He gave her a look of exasperation, but pulled his wallet from his back pocket to stow the bills. They both worked to support their little family and they put all of their earnings into one account which Violet usually took care of. He didn't realize she had been putting money into savings. "It's okay to have a little funny money, Klaus. We can try some new things while we're here. Have a little fun for a change." She put her arm around his waist and looked up into his face. "You work too hard and are too serious! Just think…" she paused and looked down at the ground. "Well, maybe I shouldn't get my hopes up too high."

"They are going to love your invention, Violet. I have no doubt!" Just then their old-fashioned suitcase fell onto the belt and Violet wiped her brow in exaggerated relief. Klaus pushed his way through the throng of people to grab the weathered handle and heft it down. Violet took control of the carry-on bag and led the way outside to a line of taxis.

"The hostel at Fort Mason, please," she instructed the cab driver. He nodded, indicating he knew where to go. The driver was a quiet man so the siblings were also quiet on the long drive from the airport.

The way through the city was scenic with its iconic hills and overlooks to the ocean far below. When they passed by the trolley the siblings gave each other sad looks of remembrance of another rickety trolley in another city. The entrance to the hostel's property was a steep, green hill and they were let out at a set of large double doors. People of all ages milled about outside and in, but most were young people in their early twenties, like Violet and Klaus. The lobby was clean and there was a door that led to a bright cafe were travelers were talking together and drinking cups of coffee and tea. The seats around the perimeter of the cafe were crowded where people had their laptop computers out in front of them, plugging into the walls to charge.

Violet stepped up to the desk with Klaus beside her. "Hi," she greeted a young, bearded fellow manning the desk. "There should be a reservation for Baudelaire?" The man tapped a few keys on his computer, pulling up the information.

"Yes, I have you down for our medium bunk room," he smiled pleasantly at her.

"No," Violet disagreed, keeping her smile in place. "I reserved a private room with two beds."

"I'm afraid all of our private rooms are currently filled. In fact, we have a full house all weekend. There's a music festival going on, you see."

Violet shared a look with Klaus. He only shrugged, saying quietly, "It doesn't matter to me."

"But, the invention…" Yes, how could she keep it safe in a room full of strangers?

"Sir, do you have a safe that can accommodate something fairly large if we need to keep it locked up?" Klaus asked.

"Of course." He indicated a room off to the side behind him. "You can rent a safe for five dollars a day."

Violet seemed fairly disappointed at the failed reservation. Although Klaus knew she liked to meet people, it was always hard to sleep in a room with too many strangers. "I guess we'll take the beds in the bunk room then," she said resignedly. It's not like they could afford a real hotel in San Francisco. They had searched the internet for a room in the city, but it would have been way too expensive to stay at even the cheapest hotel for the four nights they had planned on.

"You mean bed?" said the clerk.

"Bed?" asked Klaus, scrunching his eyebrows together in confusion.

"Yes, that is all we have available. I did mention that we have a full house."

"But," exclaimed an exasperated Violet, "I made a reservation for two in a private room."

"Our beds have plenty of privacy, if that's what you're worried about," and the man had the audacity to wink at Klaus.

Violet opened her mouth to argue, but only a squeak came out. Klaus sighed, looking at his sister. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time we've had to share," he told her quietly as the man came around to the front of the desk to show them the way to their bed. Singular.

Down the hall and to the right was the women's bathroom. A little farther was the men's. Two turns to the left and the bearded clerk showed them into a narrow room. Interestingly, the beds were built into the walls, like little cubby holes, and Klaus was sure he would have loved sleeping like this as a child. Each bedded cubby hole was covered with a curtain for privacy. Several people lounged in their beds, reading or looking at their phones. There were built in lights over each bed and a smaller one located at the head of the bed for reading.

The clerk led them all the way to the end of the room to the last pair of beds that faced each other. In between them was a tall window that looked out over the grounds of Fort Mason. The bed was twin sized with white sheets and a white blanket that smelled a bit like bleach and the interior of the cubby was lined with wood panels and a few shallow shelves.

"Well, here you go," said the clerk, indicating the empty bed. "I hope you enjoy your stay in San Francisco."

"Thank you," said Violet half-heartedly, setting her bag down on the bed and plopping there herself.

Klaus set down the suitcase. "Cheer up," he said, playfully pushing past his sister to lay across the bed, propping an arm behind his head on the plump, white pillow. "At least we have a room with a view."

She looked at him questioningly, so he pulled at her arm until she lay down next to him, resting her head in the crook of his shoulder, and let her gaze follow to where he pointed out the window. Beyond the green hills of the hostel's grounds lay a few blocks of city, then the ocean, and off to the side Violet could just make out the edge of the Golden Gate Bridge. She gave a delighted laugh, then pointed herself. "Look," she said excitedly. "There's Alcatraz." Sure enough, the old prison was clearly visible out on its little island.

Just then Klaus's stomach gave an undeniable growl. Violet looked up at him, smiling now. "Want to walk down and see what we can find to eat?"

An attractive couple, maybe in their thirties, walked up to the bed across from them, pulling back the curtain to sit down. "Hey, look," said the woman, nudging the man. "Our neighbors have finally arrived. I'm Jen and this is my husband Tim. Did you just get in? We got here a couple of days ago. Where are you guys coming from?"

Jen was pretty, with long, reddish brown hair, a few freckles across her nose and a friendly smile. Her husband was tall and muscular about the arms. Violet sat up quickly, always eager to introduce. "Hello. I'm Violet and this is Klaus," she gestured toward her supine brother. "We just flew in from the east coast. Have any suggestions for restaurants close by?"

"Well, what are you interested in?" asked Jen, sitting on the bed opposite Violet. "There's plenty of seafood, chowder especially, and there's Italian and sandwiches and coffee shops…" she ticked every choice off on a different finger.

Klaus interrupted, sitting up, "I'm interested in whatever's quick." His stomach growled loudly to emphasize his point.

Tim chimed in. "There's a pizza place just at the bottom of the hill," he suggested.

"Sounds perfect," the siblings said simultaneously, grinning at each other.

With an approving cluck of her tongue, Jen said, "Well aren't you the cutest couple?"

This was a very common mistake amongst people who were just meeting the Baudelaires, but Klaus had always assumed it was because the pair usually had two little girls with them and presented as a traditional family. They rarely took the time to correct people, because then they would have to explain and explaining their family was not an easy task, nor always a very safe one. Violet looked quickly to Klaus, ready to follow his lead, but he gave her a furtive wink. He sometimes had the silly notion that Violet would be safer if people thought he was her husband and not just her brother.

"Well," said Violet. "Should we see about renting a safe, then we can head out for some pizza?" Violet stood, turning her back on their new friends to unzip their suitcase. The invention was wrapped securely in layers of paper and tape and took up much of the space. She handed it carefully to Klaus, then dug around until she pulled out a sweater to protect her arms against the temperate evening chill that blew in from the bay.

"I know curiosity kills the cat, but my interest is piqued! Not to be too nosy, but, what in the world is that?" asked Tim, indicating the large parcel in Klaus's arms.

Violet smiled kindly at the couple. "It's why we're here…part of my portfolio, if you will. I have an interview on Monday."

"That sounds important," said Jen, poking Tim in the ribs. "You are nosy."

"Everyone who knows you knows you're nosier!" he replied.

"I'm sure we'll see you in a bit. Thanks for the supper suggestions," said Klaus and they bid their bunkmates goodbye, stashed the invention in a large safe, and headed out for dinner.

The pizza was good. Anything would have tasted delicious to Klaus at that point, he was sure. Violet had even splurged on a large glass of foamy lager for them to share. They hardly ever drank alcohol, but it tasted really good with the pizza and helped to relax them after their long trip today. He could feel the instant the alcohol hit his bloodstream, pulling at his belly button in a weirdly sexual way. It never took more than a few sips to affect him this way.

But the day had been extra long. They had woken before dawn to make sure the girls were ready for the babysitter, to make sure they had enough time to get to the airport and through security. Then there was the long flight and the time change, and even though the night was young here in this time zone, the siblings had been up for too long and were soon just ready for bed.

Klaus had felt one hundred percent better since leaving the airport, but now, even with his belly pleasantly full, that same headache began tickling at his forehead again. He couldn't help but thread his fingers under his glasses to press them over his eyebrows in an attempt to ease the pressure there. If Violet noticed, she didn't say anything, and he was happy not to have her coddle him.

He managed to enjoy the walk back to the hostel, breathing in the cool, fresh air, and the two stopped partway up the steep hill to view the lights of the city. "I'm looking forward to our tour tomorrow," said Violet after a long silence. The two had decided on a guided tour of the city to get an overall feel for the place.

"Yeah, me, too. We can mark off things in the travel guide and write down what we might want to come back to."

"Very sensible, Klaus," Violet laughed a little.

"Hmm," he said good-naturedly. "I get the feeling you're making fun of me."

"No, I'm not," she defended. "But it's true. I sometimes wonder if you are inherently a serious person, or if…you know…you didn't have so much responsibility…" her voice trailed off.

He gave her a flat smile. "It doesn't do any good to wonder, Violet. It won't change the way things are. Of course I sometimes wish things could be different…for all of us."

"But they could be different for you," she took one of his hands in both of hers, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles. "You should go to school. You could take a break from us for awhile." Klaus was already shaking his head, but Violet continued. "The girls are getting older and aren't so hard to take care of anymore. They don't really need both of us. I could probably do it myself."

"I'm not leaving you alone…" he began, but she talked over him.

"Not to mention what a handsome young man you've become. Have you ever had a girlfriend?" she asked, almost accusing.

He scoffed. "You know that I haven't. You know they would never under…"

"Don't you want to find someone to love? To live your life for a change? To do what you want to do, not just what's expected of you?"

"Hey!" he said loudly to stop her tirade, then lowered his voice again. "What is this about? Really?"

Violet was quiet for a few heartbeats. "I just don't want to be the reason…" She had to start again because her voice broke a little. "I just don't want to be what's holding you back. I don't want you to wake up one day and hate me."

He pulled her by her shoulders and into his embrace. "I will never hate you." He felt her breathe a large sigh. "Have I never told you that you are my absolute favorite person in the whole world?"

"I am?" she asked, face buried in his chest.

"Of course."

"More than Beatrice?"

"Yes."

"More than Sunny?" her voice was incredulous.

"Do Tesla coils produce high-voltage, low-current, high frequency alternating-current electricity?" Violet pulled back her face to beam at her brother. "What about you, Violet? Are you feeling stuck?"

She pressed her face into his chest again and shook her head. "No. Never."

"Okay, enough of this, then. I'm happy. You're happy. No more discussion." He took her hand and led the way up the last half of the hill, looking forward to sleep.

The hostel was full of people when they returned. There was a mile-long line for the showers, so Violet and Klaus agreed they would try again in the morning. As it was, Klaus was able to use the urinal fairly quick and then shared a sink with a pimply youth in order to brush his teeth.

He thought he was quick, but Violet had beat him back to the bed. She was dressed in a tee shirt and pajama shorts, same as him, and had taken the spot against the wall, her back propped up by the single pillow on the small bed. She had her notebook out and was reviewing her notes and making changes by crossing out words and penning others in the margins. She smiled at him when he approached and motioned at the book she had laid out for him. "Hey, I'm not exactly sure when they turn off the overhead lights. Maybe we can just get a little work done before bed?"

Klaus made a face, but Violet didn't see as she was already absorbed again in her notebook. He really was tired and his head was starting to pound in earnest. He laid down and Violet scooted as close as she could to the wall to make more room for him in the small bed. Goodness, he hadn't had to share a bed with Violet since before he'd grown into a man. Back then there hadn't been very much room, but now? He turned onto his side, trying to get comfortable without touching his sister too much, then gave up. Digging an arm between her back and the wall that she leaned against and laying one lightly around her waist, he pressed his forehead into her soft hip, trying to ease the pain.

With her right hand she scribbled away in her book, but with her left she absently slid her fingers into Klaus's hair, massaging his scalp and neck. "That feels good," he told her, pulling his glasses off and placing them on an overhead shelf that he hoped he wouldn't bump his head on in the night.

"Is your head still hurting?" she asked, pulling her attention back to her brother and obviously she'd known about his headache all along.

"Yeah, I thought it was gone, but I guess I'm just jet-lagged. I'll be okay." He laid back down and she continued to rub his head. When they finally turned off the overhead light, Klaus breathed a huge sigh of relief. Violet still had the small reading light on and he didn't begrudge her that.

"Klaus," Violet whispered, finally scooting down in the bed and under the covers with him, "close the curtains." He pulled them off the small hook that kept them open and they fell mostly closed. Violet switched off the light. The bed seemed really small and the one pillow inadequate. After wiggling a bit, Violet said, "Turn over and I'll rub your back for you."

It was just her way to make more room for her, but he was willing to do it for a back rub. So they laid, sort of spooning, and Violet pressed her thumbs into the top of his spine and began to knead over his shoulders and then down the middle of his back. She kept bunching up his tee shirt only to smooth it out again. It didn't bother him, but apparently she was having a hard time with it. "Take this off," she demanded, tugging at his shirt. He reached behind him and tugged the garment over his head, throwing it down to the foot of the bed.

Her hands were cool on his bare back and he flinched when she resumed her massage. She laughed at his reaction, and so did he. He wasn't really used to being touched so intimately. He had to admit that it felt wonderful. "How's your head?" she whispered. The room had become quiet and Klaus wondered what time it was.

"It hurts," he admitted. Every time he would just about drift off to sleep, a wave of pain would wash across his forehead.

"Do you remember what Mother used to do when we had a headache?" He found he couldn't recall and shook his head. Violet was lucky enough to have had almost two extra years with their parents before they'd died and, between the two of them, he thought her memory of them was the best. She propped herself up on her elbow and reached around to his cheek, urging him to turn onto his back and to face her. The light was still on in Jen and Tim's bed and he could see Violet in the soft illumination through the curtain. Her long, dark hair fell around him as she slowly leaned over him, pressing her soft, warm lips over his eyebrow, holding them there, then repeating the kiss to his other eyebrow.

"I remember," he whispered and she smiled softly at him, rubbing her thumb across his cheek. He reached up to push her hair behind her ear and she looked away, shy for some reason.

"Do you want some ibuprofen, Klaus?" Violet didn't wait for his answer but started to climb over Klaus to get to their suitcase that was stowed under the bed, but she didn't get very far before she scrambled quickly back to her spot behind him, getting under the covers and shaking with silent laughter.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Shh," she said and pointed through the small crack in their curtains. "Look."

He followed the direction of her finger and his eyes about popped out of his head. Jen and Tim still had their curtains halfway open and their reading light on, and they were totally naked. Klaus supposed that he and Violet were the only ones who would be able to see the couple unless someone purposefully walked all the way to the end of the row of beds, but still. The older couple were kissing, heedless of the open curtain, and Klaus watched as Tim maneuvered Jen to sit between his legs that hung over the edge of the bed, pulling her thighs apart to rest over his knees, teasing her breasts and pulling her face around so that he could kiss her mouth. The siblings had a very detailed and explicit view of Jen's body.

"Maybe we shouldn't watch," Violet whispered right into his ear so that there was no way the couple across the way would hear, but she was propped up on her elbow again to see over him, eyes glued to the lovemaking across the aisle.

"You can watch if you want to, Violet." He turned his face to whisper in her ear. "They're exhibitionists."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that they like to have sex where someone might be able to see them. They get their kicks off the possibility they might get caught."

"Oh," she replied, but it was just breath across his shoulder. Tim was pressing his fingers into Jen's vagina, then pulling them out to rub circles around her swollen clitoris. Jen's skin was tanned a light golden brown and more freckles dotted her arms and chest. Her breasts were quite large. She was a good looking woman and Klaus felt overly warm, and it was like Violet could read his thoughts because she whispered again in his ear. "Do you like her breasts?"

He nodded. "They're nice," he said lamely, then cleared his throat quietly, uncertainly. "Is it hot in here?" She nodded.

They watched as Tim pleasured Jen for several more minutes and Klaus liked the way she rode his fingers when they were pressed deep into her. His own erection pulsed in serious arousal and it was really hard not to reach down and press a palm over it, but he was so overly aware of his sister in bed behind him. He could feel the way her breathing had become very fast, could even feel her heart pounding against his back. Then he felt her hand, not so cool anymore, brush down his side and over his hip, causing goosebumps to rise over his arm. The idea of her touching him while watching another couple have sex was very confusing to him, yet quite alluring. She spread her fingers over his stomach, letting them linger there for a moment, then pushed her hand up the middle of his chest, scratching softly at the hair that grew there.

When her fingers found his nipples he knew there was no possibility that her touch was innocent anymore. He placed a hand over hers and turned to look over his shoulder at her. Her cheeks were very pink and she couldn't quite meet his gaze.

"Violet?" he whispered, asking, but they were distracted into stillness as the couple across the way changed positions. Tim adjusted his body lengthwise across the bed, his head on the pillow, and Jen straddled his lap, facing the foot of the bed, her hands on Tim's thighs. Tim was also very tan and his legs were just as muscular as his arms. He took his own erection in his fist, pumping several times before guiding it between his wife's legs. Jen took him all the way into her body, their faces twin expressions of ecstasy. She began a quick pace, pulling forward far enough that the siblings had a clear view of the length of Tim's penis, before rocking her hips back over his. Klaus felt a silly pang of jealousy and he wasn't sure if it was that Tim's body was the epitome of masculinity or if it was because Violet was seeing it.

Violet pressed her face into his cheek, breathing into his ear, asking permission. "God, Klaus. Can I touch you?" He could feel heat emanating from his body, or was that her heat? She was just as aroused as he was.

"Violet," he said her name again, but didn't know what it meant, didn't know what he wanted.

"It's just sex. It doesn't have to mean anything," she said raggedly into his shoulder and her mouth opened and closed infinitesimally over his skin, causing another round of goosebumps. In answer he let go of her hand, feeling an enormous amount of shame at how good the slide of her fingers down his center felt, and also an exceeding amount of guilt at how much he anticipated her touch when her hand slipped under the waistband of his boxers and then all concerns disappeared when she began to stroke him in time to Tim and Jen's lovemaking. He forgot all about his headache or their money problems, and he was sorry to say he surely wasn't thinking about Sunny or Beatrice or anything except for the sweet girl pressed into his body, and how good it felt to trust her so implicitly.

Klaus didn't think Violet was watching anymore. Her head laid behind his on the pillow and her body so close beside his in the small bed that he could feel when she reached her other hand down between them to touch herself. If he wasn't trying to be so quiet he would have moaned at the sexual gratification of it all. It was a teenage boy's dream and he felt himself leaking semen like crazy, but Violet only spread it over his shaft, keeping her rhythm steady.

His eyes had instinctively fallen shut as soon as he'd felt Violet slide her hand inside her own panties, imagining what it might feel like to push her hand out of the way and touch her himself and that Violet's hand moving over him so sweetly and erotically was really another part of her body, but a quick peek at the exhibitionists across the way showed him that Tim had sat up to fondle Jen's breasts again. They were surprisingly, exceptionally quiet in their lovemaking, preferring to be seen and not heard, Klaus supposed. He could feel Violet's breaths, erratic now against his neck. She was close. So was he. So was Jen. Her face spoke volumes of pleasure, her mouth open in a silent oh, then her body quaked and Tim was whispering encouraging words into her ear, kissing up and down the column of her neck. When Jen couldn't keep a steady pace anymore, Tim easily held her over him while he bucked his hips furiously, chasing his own pleasure now. At the same time he felt Violet's teeth bite gently into the crook between his neck and his shoulder, felt her body shiver against his back, and heard as well as felt her long, quiet exhale followed by a quick succession of damp breaths against his neck signaling her orgasm.

Violet was only distracted from her task of satisfying him for a short moment, her hand slowing, but it didn't matter. It was all too much. He fought the urge to turn and wrap his arms around Violet and kiss her senseless as he came, but instead turned his face into the pillow, hiding his embarrassment because he'd just let his sister jerk him off. "Fuck," he cursed into the pillow, breathing heavily, holding Violet's hand still as he ejaculated into his underwear. After a minute, when he couldn't hear his heartbeat thrumming in his ears anymore, he let go of her hand and she pulled it out of his boxers, dragging her fingers along his stomach, feeling the goosebumps that covered his sweaty torso now.

Violet rolled onto her back and covered her face with her hands. The bed was shaking and at first Klaus thought she was crying. He understood. He felt a little like crying himself, but when he turned to her in alarm, ready to apologize, he found that she was laughing, trying not to make any noise. He smiled too, against his better judgment. He guessed the situation was a little funny. He poked her ribs. "What are you laughing at?"

"I've never heard you say that word before," she looked at him, eyes wide, grinning, obviously pleased with herself for having made him say such a forbidden thing. He only shook his head at her mirth, a little awed that she didn't seem in the least embarrassed about what they had just done. She looked past him, focusing on Tim and Jen.

"Are they all done?" Klaus whispered.

Violet nodded. "They've closed their curtains now. Do you still want that medicine for your headache? I can get it for you now." She rubbed her thumbs over his eyebrows again.

"Nah. It's okay. Maybe you could do that thing Mother used to do one more time?" he raised his eyebrows at her and she cradled his face in her palms. Again, he wondered what if might feel like to kiss her, but held himself still when she pressed her lips to his brow. She flopped onto her back again, taking up most of the bed.

"Do we need to set the alarm?" she asked.

"I did, but not too early."

"Okay," she said, turning her face toward him, so that their noses were only inches away from each other on the pillow. "Goodnight."

His mouth quirked up in a half smile. "Goodnight."


	2. Chapter 2

As tired and jet-lagged as the Baudelaire siblings were, they did not sleep well in their single bed. There was the general unease of sleeping in a new place, not to mention having to share sleeping quarters with a room full of strangers. Klaus's headache had eased for the most part, but his body couldn't relax, not with Violet laying so close and taking up most of the bed. The weight of the guilt at the earlier lust he'd felt for her kept him from reaching out and holding her, which would have made the bed ten times more comfortable. His underwear were a constant, sticky reminder of how the evening had ended, and he hadn't had a chance to come to terms with it before Violet had fallen asleep on their shared pillow.

Whenever he'd relax, Violet would turn, or if he did fall asleep for a moment, he would wake with a jerk, as if he'd been falling. When he couldn't stand his underwear anymore, Klaus tried sneaking out of the bed to the bathroom, but Violet was already awake, laying a soft hand on his arm when he pushed open the curtain. "Are you okay?" her voice was drowsy, but concerned.

"Yeah," he replied in a whisper. "Just need to use the restroom." It felt good to stretch his legs down the brightly lit hallway and even better to shed his poorly used underwear and toss them into the garbage.

Trying to be quiet, Klaus crawled slowly back into bed, not wanting to disturb his sister, but Violet made room for him, and without a word, she pulled his arm around her and held his hand loosely at her abdomen. He pulled the covers over them both and finally they fell asleep.

In the morning, he awoke to a face full of hair, and forgetting momentarily where he was, sat up rather quickly and just avoided hitting his head on the shelf that held his glasses and watch. As he put them on, Violet sat up next to him, yawning and stretching. He caught a glimpse of her belly as she stretched her arms over her head. Everything from last night was immediately forefront in his mind and he wondered at how a few moments could change your life. He normally wouldn't have even noticed such a small bit of bared skin. When had he ever looked at Violet and thought about her as more than his sister? Well, he couldn't honestly say he'd never ever thought about her like that, but any lustful thoughts about Violet were always quelled as soon as he'd thought them up, and he'd never entertained actually acting on them. It might be sexist, but it was kind of weird to think that maybe Violet had also had inappropriate thoughts about him.

"Did you get any sleep?" he asked her.

"A little. How about you?" Klaus only shrugged, not willing to complain to her in case it made her feel bad. She scooted around him to the edge of the bed. "Ready to face the world?" she asked, pulling back the curtain and climbing out of the cubby.

"I'm ready for that shower."

Violet pulled the suitcase from where it was stowed and hefted in onto the bed, sorting through the clothes to find herself a clean dress and underwear, also taking out her toiletries, towel and shoes. "Meet you back here in a bit?" she asked, already on her way down the narrow aisle between the beds.

Klaus noticed that the bed across the way, the one occupied by Jen and Tim, was already made up neatly and the curtain hung across its hook. Gathering his own supplies from the suitcase, he headed down the hallway to the men's room. It felt good to rinse the travel grime from his skin, even though his shirt was a little more wrinkled than he usually liked.

When he came back to deposit his things in the shared suitcase, Violet already sat on the edge of the bed, absently pulling a brush through her long, wet hair while she stared out the window. She looked pale and had dark circles under her eyes. Maybe she hadn't slept very well at all.

"You look nice," he complimented her, because, though she looked tired, she also looked very pretty, young in a sweet way, never needing make up because her skin was smooth and blemish free. Her dress was one that she'd had for ages, but he knew it was her favorite.

His voice pulled her from her thoughts and she turned her attention fully on him, setting her brush down in her lap. Her welcoming smile banished the tired expression from her face. "So do you," she replied.

He wore his usual khakis and a button down shirt. His clothes were just as predictable as Violet's. He had brushed his hair smooth in front of the mirror in the bathroom, but it would curl as it dried. Wanting to say something to acknowledge what happened between them the night before, but having no idea what, he found himself just staring at her and watched as her pale cheeks began to turn pink. Just when Violet drew in a short breath, ready to say something, Tim and Jen walked down the aisle toward their own bed.

"Good morning!" exclaimed Jen. "How did you two sleep?"

Klaus could feel his own cheeks begin to burn and he could barely look at the couple. Violet saved him from speaking. "I suppose we've had better. How about you?" she asked politely.

"Slept like a baby," answered Tim. "We had a busy day yesterday. Got a lot of exercise, you know?"

Violet was nodding and barely suppressing a grin, making Klaus grin conspiratorially.

"Would you guys like to get some breakfast with us? We found a great place for pancakes right off the pier."

Violet looked to Klaus for a sign of what he wanted to do. The Baudelaire's friendly nature usually had them agreeing to other people's plans, but Klaus checked his watch. "That is very kind of you," he said truthfully, "but Violet and I are taking a city tour in an hour. We'll probably just grab some coffee on the way to the bus."

"A raincheck, maybe?" asked Violet, standing and grabbing her bag.

"Sure, sounds good. Have a nice time," said Jen, friendly and sincere.

They walked briskly down the green hill toward town and had plenty of time to wander a few streets before finding a coffee shop that suited their needs. Klaus and Violet were hungry enough for a large pancake breakfast, but made due with lattes and croissants, each one feeling better with a little food and caffeine in their bellies.

Violet paid for the tour tickets and the two used the bathroom one more time before boarding a large, luxury bus that sat high up off the ground, offering a great view over all the other cars on the road. Klaus let Violet have the window seat and glanced curiously around at the other passengers. There were groups of friends, several families, and a few other couples on the bus. He realized right away that his thinking was incorrect, for he and Violet were not a couple. He should say, instead, that the only other siblings on the bus were below the age of twelve. Klaus looked quickly to Violet, feeling guilty at his thoughts and feeling as though she might pick them out of his brain, but she only smiled at him.

An older, rotund man whose thin white hairs were styled in a combover, seated himself facing the passengers at the front of the bus and began speaking into a microphone as the bus pulled away from the curb, introducing himself as Stan, today's tour guide. Stan thought himself quite a comedian, but Klaus and Violet could tell that his jokes were well practiced, and sometimes shared an eye roll over the particularly silly one-liners that Stan seemed partial to. Stan also never stopped talking. He had been born in San Francisco and had lived there his whole life. He knew the history of the city well and entertained the group with many fascinating anecdotes.

The bus passed by the Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39, the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, and went through several neighborhoods which included the Painted Ladies, the famously painted row houses, and the crooked Lombard Street. Then they drove through Twin Peaks that had a lovely view of the city, and North Beach, where everyone piled out of the bus to take pictures of the Coit Tower at the top of Telegraph Hill.

The bus stopped for awhile at the Presidio of San Francisco and Klaus and Violet walked through the grassy Crissy Field while Violet admired the view of the Golden Gate Bridge. When the bus actually passed over the bridge it was interesting to note that the bridge was painted red.

The bus drove them into Sausalito late in the afternoon, where they had two hours to tour the small, artsy town. The pair strolled through the narrow streets, walking in and out of souvenir shops, looking at paintings, and Violet admired more than a few high-end shop windows that held well-clothed mannequins. Only having bought a few snacks at some of their stops Klaus suggested they eat supper at one of the restaurants, for there were many to choose from, and all of them looked appealing.

Violet happily agreed. "What are you in the mood for?"

"Anything, really." He looked up and down the sidewalk crowded with people and a small trattoria with outdoor seating caught his eye. He nodded in that direction. The hostess sat them at a small table near a roaring outdoor fireplace. The small square was outlined in fairy lights and large potted palms. Clusters of kiwi fruit drooped through an overhead trellis and colorful flowers overflowed from a vase in the middle of the table. Violet slid it to the side so she could see Klaus and accepted her menu.

"The fire feels good. I was starting to get a little chilly. I shouldn't have left my jacket in the bus."

A waiter came to their table with a wine menu and Violet ordered a glass of the house wine and nodded to Klaus. He didn't usually order alcohol, but decided it would be nice to try some California wine while they were here. "I'll have the same," he said.

"Very good, Sir," the waiter said. "I'll be right back to take your order."

The pair decided quickly on what they each wanted and then silently looked around at their neighbors. They were all couples, men holding women's hands across the table, gentle laughter, a brush to her arm, a hand on his thigh.

Violet cleared her throat. "This is a very romantic restaurant."

"It appears to be. Hope the food is as good as the atmosphere. I really am starving," he said, trying to lighten the mood. It worked.

Violet laughed. "One would think you were still growing, Klaus, by the amount of food that you eat."

"I don't know what you mean!" he said playfully. "You've barely fed me all day."

"That is true. I'm sorry. I'll have to take better care of you," and the way she said it wasn't motherly at all and somehow made his cheeks burn.

The waiter came back with their wine and Klaus took a hurried sip, which did nothing to lessen the heat he felt. Violet ordered the chicken parmesan and Klaus ordered cheese ravioli. To save a few dollars they decided to share a salad. It wasn't a cheap place to eat, but the food was good and the wine had a hint of sweetness that lingered on Klaus's tongue even after the glass was empty. Unfortunately, they had to pass on dessert. The time was getting late and their pocket money low.

Violet took his hand and he pulled her along quickly back to the bus before it could leave without them. The sun sank as the bus crossed over the Golden Gate Bridge on its way back to San Francisco and when Klaus went to point out Alcatraz on the horizon he realized that Violet had fallen asleep against the window. Her head slipped down off her propped hand and she jerked awake, only to drift into asleep again. Klaus watched this happen for only a minute before tentatively brushing his fingers over her shoulder, edging his hand around her back until she leaned into him instead of the window. She glanced at him gratefully then laid her head on his shoulder, placing a hand just under her cheek, snuggling deeper into her jacket and into Klaus's side.

When her head became heavy and she slept again, he rested his cheek on the top of her head. She smelled good, like shampoo and flowers and a little bit like the sea air. The bus was quiet on the return trip home and he relished it. The silence gave him a chance to think, mostly about Violet. Today, she had been fun and companionable, like she always was, without a hint of the awkwardness that he only just kept at bay. How did she do it? How do you share such an intimate moment with someone and come out of it unfazed? She had said it was just sex. That it didn't mean anything. Perhaps, if that were the case last night, then tonight…

No. Violet was his sister and he shouldn't think of the way her hands felt on his skin. He should definitely not think about the way she had touched herself and should not, absolutely should not imagine what it might feel like to touch her the way she had touched him. But it would only be fair, right?

No. That would be crazy. But…as she fell deeper into sleep, her hand slipped from in between her cheek and his shoulder, sliding lightly down his chest and finally landing on his thigh. It felt intimately familiar although she'd never touched him like that before. He gave a hopeless sigh and leaned his head back on the seat, covering her stray hand with his. The quiet rumbling of the bus and Violet's comfortable warmth made him so sleepy that his eyelids felt like magnets and he couldn't keep them open.

The next thing he knew Violet was squeezing his hand and he squinted in the bus's bright overhead lights. "Hey," she said quietly. "We're back."

The sky had grown dark while they rode and it was a bit disorienting. It took a minute for Klaus to get his bearings outside the station and he turned two complete circles, much to Violet's amusement, before leading the way down the street. He didn't take them straight back to the hostel, for it was really too early to go to bed, and what else was there to do besides work in the small cubby? Well… he could maybe think of one or two things, but it wouldn't do to dwell on those thoughts. Instead he led them back towards the pier.

"Where are we going?" Violet asked when she realized they were walking the wrong direction.

He'd been walking just ahead of his sister, but stopped and waited for her to catch up. "Are you warm enough, Violet?" he asked, holding his hand out for her. She took it and he maneuvered his fingers in-between hers.

She smiled bemusedly, "Warm enough." He slowed his gait to match hers and they meandered comfortably through the still crowded street until he found an ice cream shop whose sign boasted over 39 flavors. He still had a little money left in his pocket and craved something sweet to end the long day. Violet smiled at him warmly when he opened the shop door for her, but she didn't let go of his hand, even as they waited in line to give their order, even as they each accepted their cones, but Klaus had to have both hands in order to pay.

They ate their ice cream on the way back to the hostel, strolling hand in hand again, up the hill. Shivering from the ice cream and the cool breeze that blew her dress around her legs, Violet admitted to feeling too cold to eat all of her cone and offered it to Klaus to finish.

Back at the hostel, Klaus could see that Violet's lips were a little blue and her teeth a little chattery. They dug their pajamas out of the suitcase and each went their separate ways to get ready for bed. He brushed his teeth in the crowded bathroom and waited in line to use a stall, relieving himself and changing clothes. He made it back to the bed first and used the opportunity to claim the inside spot against the wall. He barely had enough time to prop himself up on the pillow and pull out his book when Violet appeared, putting her things into the suitcase and stowing it under the bed.

"I'm freezing!" she exclaimed. She couldn't seem to shake her shivers, even though she had on one of Klaus's flannel button down shirts, the sleeves hanging well below her hands. Klaus held the covers open for her and he angled himself toward her to gather her into his arms. She gratefully scooted into his embrace and he wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and she leaned her head onto his chest, wrapping her arms around his back. He held her for a long time, until finally her shaking stopped and he felt her melt deeper into relaxation.

"Feeling warmer?" he asked into the top of her head. Klaus was feeling a pleasant heat in his own chest. She nodded and leaned back to look at him. They were so close, closer than usual, closer than they needed to be. She sat sideways in the protective circle of his legs, her thighs crossing his, her hands on his chest, his hands on her waist. If she had been his girlfriend instead of his sister, he imagined he would have kissed her sweetly on her lips, deepening it until they breathed only each other's air, but instead he slowly leaned forward, mesmerized by her stare and placed a soft, chaste kiss on the pale skin behind her ear.

She closed her eyes and exhaled his name, softly, a whisper. "Klaus."

He'd tried all day to put it from his mind, but now that she was right here in his arms, all he could think about was how much he wanted to feel her. "Can I touch you, Violet?" he whispered into her ear. It was the same question she had asked him last night. Was this how she'd felt? Tender and vulnerable and desirous?

He barely waited for her answer, stroking his thumb over her lips and down the center column of her neck. He unbuttoned the top four buttons of her shirt and slipped his hand inside. She wore no bra and her breast filled his palm. Tracing the shape of it with his thumb, he felt her nipple harden at his touch.

Violet was watching him, her breath hitching every now and then when he did something right. He pulled his hand out of her shirt, but only to lean toward the edge of the bed, holding her steady in his lap with one hand and flipping the bed curtains closed with the other. Unhurriedly, Klaus unbuttoned the rest of the shirt and used both hands to pull it down off her shoulders, exposing her chest to his gaze. Violet maneuvered the rest of the way out of the flannel and tugged at Klaus's tee shirt until he leaned away from the wall to pull it over his head. Her hands were cold, making his skin flinch inadvertently wherever she touched him. She turned just slightly in his lap, letting him take a breast in each hand and as he massaged them he gave her another tentative kiss on her neck. She seemed to like it, leaning into his hands, turning her head and pushing her hair over her shoulder to expose her neck to him.

He blazed a trail of kisses, each wetter than the one before, until he could suck a taut nipple into his mouth. Her hands flew to the back of his head, her fingers tangling in his curls. Tiny audible breaths escaped from Violet's throat unlike any he'd ever heard her make before, and the sounds went straight to his groin, making his erection pulse in arousal. With one hand full of breast and his mouth entertaining the other, his free hand was slowly making its way down her spine, over her waist and across her hip to dip into the waistband of her pajama shorts. He found that she wore no underwear and this pleased him. Had she left them off for him? Had she hoped this would happen?

He used both hands to take her shorts off. She lifted her bottom and he pulled them down the length of her legs and off her feet. And there she was. He'd undressed his sister and she was totally naked in his lap. She looked beautiful and … sexy was the only word for it. Her body was perpendicular across his as she still sat in his lap, in-between his legs, making it easy for him to trail curious fingers along her calf, under her knee, and up her inner thigh, to press them through her dark, damp curls, feeling her most private area, slick as wet satin. Her legs were already open, willingly making room for him, wanting his touch as much as he wanted to touch her.

He didn't penetrate her with his fingers. He didn't want to hurt her, but marveled at how wet she was, and he spread her natural lubrication over her soft, swollen button. He experimented a moment, drawing lines and then circles with his fingers, but no matter what he did, she seemed to like it. Her eyes were closed tight now, breaths coming fast from her parted lips. Her cheeks and chest were flushed, but her breasts were pale, the skin almost translucent with dark pink nipples that stood at attention. With his other hand he could tug gently at her hair, or trace her spine down to squeeze the soft flesh of her buttocks.

Touching her was better than anything he'd imagined all day. The realness of her, the actuality of what they were doing, the messiness of it, turned him on with a hard arousal that he wasn't sure what to do with. When she opened her eyes to find him watching her closely, she pressed her cheek against his so that he couldn't see her expression, but could hear her almost inaudible groan of pleasure as he brought her to climax. Her whole body shook and her legs closed around his arm, signaling him to stop. He was sorry not to see her face, but enjoyed her lips against his neck as she gave him little love bites while her body calmed.

They were so lost in their little bubble that at first they didn't hear their neighbors climbing into bed across from them. The overhead lights had been turned out by now, but the Baudelaire's hadn't bothered turning off the cubby light, not when there was so much to see, so Tim and Jen had to know that they were still awake. Through the small crack in their curtain, Klaus watched the older couple undress each other. It seemed like the Baudelaire's were in for another show.

Barely making any sound, Klaus breathed into Violet's ear, "Look." She unburied her face from Klaus's neck to look at him, following his gaze to the couple next door. Jen was naked, leaning back against the head of the bed, and Tim was spreading her legs wide open. He laid down on his stomach in front of her and began to lap like a dog at her clitoris. Jen rubbed the back of Tim's head, his shoulders, her own breasts, pulling at her nipples hard.

"Oh God," breathed Violet, still not totally recovered from her own orgasm moments ago. Klaus agreed. He was so hard in his pajamas that he was sure one stroke would do him in. Violet's eyes were glued on the couple, so gasped in surprise when she felt Klaus's fingers begin circling her sensitive spot again. He wanted to pleasure her while she watched them. Once again, he sucked along the swell of her breast, running his tongue over her nipple and another uncontrolled gasp escaped her lips.

Klaus sucked Violet's earlobe in between his teeth, then began whispering words into her ear. "You're so beautiful, Violet. You feel…you feel amazing." She leaned her temple into his forehead. "Is it okay?" he continued. "Does it feel good?"

"Yes," she mouthed. Tim was still working on Jen, his mouth between her legs, when Violet turned in Klaus's lap, straddling his legs, trapping his arm between their bodies. She wrapped her own arms around Klaus's shoulders and pressed her torso into his and her breasts felt so warm and soft against his chest. She moved her hips against his hand and Klaus could easily imagine her riding his cock and gave a low moan at the way her body moved over his. At this rate he would soon need to do something to relieve himself.

Jen looked like she was close, so Klaus whispered in Violet's ear again. "Watch."

So cheek to cheek, and Violet rolling her pelvis against Klaus's hand, the pair watched Jen orgasm with her head thrown back and her hands holding onto the headboard behind her for dear life. But Violet didn't come again until Tim kneeled in front of Jen, guiding his penis into her mouth, then, tangling his fingers in her hair, began to thrust. He wasn't rough, but he wasn't gentle either, taking his pleasure however he wanted. Violet turned her face back into Klaus's neck to muffle her cry, her body rocking with the force of her orgasm.

Leaning heavily into him, her chest still heaving and out of breath, she asked, "Klaus, do you think you would like that?" She pointedly looked at the couple across the way, where Tim was still fucking his wife's mouth.

"No," he replied quickly, scrunching up his nose in distaste. "I don't think I could do that. It looks…"

Violet was already climbing off his lap and further down the bed. She pulled at his legs, saying, "Lay down."

Scooting down the bed until he was lying supine, Violet wasted no time leaning over him to spread kisses over his abdomen and he could feel her breasts brush against his thighs, but she quickly got to the point of things, pulling down his shorts and underwear just far enough to expose his erection. He felt self conscious to have her face so close to his penis and wasn't sure how he felt about what he was sure she was about to do.

He made up his mind fairly quick on the matter when she took him entirely into her warm mouth and began to bob her head up and down his shaft. He'd never felt anything so good in his whole life, he didn't know what to do with himself. Wanting to call out to her, to tell her how good it was, but knowing he needed to be silent, he bit his lip and fisted the sheet underneath him. Violet reached for his hands, and held them for a moment, then returned to stroking her fingers over his sides, his hips, his thighs. Somehow he had lost his shorts and underwear and couldn't remember when Violet had even removed them. She very tenderly cupped his scrotum, her fingers feeling so good, her mouth persistent. He wanted to warn her what was about to happen, but couldn't form the words, was afraid he would say it too loud, so let it happen.

He was totally silent as he ejaculated into Violet's mouth and she continued to suck gratifyingly until he was finished. His knees had bent beside Violet's head and she pressed her hands into his inner thighs, pulling her mouth off him in a slow, torturous execution. He watched the entire thing and wondered how his sweet sister could make him feel such erotic titillation.

Keeping his eyes on her, he saw the way she sat back on her heels to study his body, especially now that he was too sated to worry about his modesty. Her lips were red and puffy and her hair tangled from where he'd run his hands through it. It was so interesting to see Violet like this, to have known her his whole life, but never witness this side of her that was indulgent and sexy and eager for him. That part surprised him the most. She was by nature a curious person and passionate about the things that she cared about, but she should have balked at any intimacy with him. It should have gone against her nature. Instead, she seemed comfortable in this role that was neither sisterly…nor motherly. She was willing, no, more than that, enthusiastic, responsive and ready to receive anything he would give her.

And he honestly wanted to give her the world.

She traced the patterns of hair that grew along his inner thigh, dark against his pale skin, through his pubic hair and then up the single center line leading to his belly button. Here she fanned out her fingers to feel the soft hair that covered his chest. She laid beside him, sharing their one pillow, and scratched her fingertips over the short stubble that grew on his cheeks. "When exactly did you become a man, Klaus? I must have missed the exact moment, but here you are," -she brushed her hand down his abdomen again- "so beautiful I could cry." Her voice did break a little and her sweet honesty made his chest ache with a yearning to kiss her, to grab her face with both hands, guide her lips to his, and confess that he loved her.

Klaus didn't know when he started feeling this way, but in this moment he was sure of it, like he'd known all along. Telling himself that what they had been doing was just sex, that it didn't mean anything...well, that was probably the biggest lie he'd ever told himself.


	3. Chapter 3

"Klaus?" He woke to Violet nudging him in the arm. "The alarm," she mumbled sleepily. "Make it stop."

"Okay, okay." Klaus never liked waking to an alarm, but doesn't everyone prefer to wake up naturally? He leaned up on an elbow to reach his watch on the shelf that also held his wallet and his glasses, pressing the button to end the annoying sound. He flopped back down on his back and turned his head towards his sister.

She was lying on her stomach, arms curled under her, looking at him. They observed each other for a long minute and Klaus wondered what she was thinking. Finally, she said, "Good morning."

He replied in return.

"Well, I guess I'll go take my chances with the line for the showers," she offered, but didn't move.

"Okay," he said.

"Okay."

Klaus raised his eyebrows at her. "Close your eyes while I get some clothes back on," she grinned, though her cheeks turned light pink and she hid her face in the pillow. He only laughed at her. "Klaus," she told him again, rolling her eyes. "Close them."

He obeyed, closing his eyes, feeling the mattress dip down as she crawled out of the blanket to climb toward the foot of the bed in search of their discarded clothing from the night before, but he didn't keep them shut. It was the first time he'd seen her in the daylight, though the light from the large window was filtered through the closed curtain. She was turned from him, her hair falling in a messy, dark wave, contrasting with the pale skin of her back. As she sat on her knees in the middle of the bed searching through the blankets, he had a nice view of how her thin waist rounded sweetly into a heart-shaped bottom.

Klaus rose to his knees on the bed and she looked over her shoulder at him. "I knew you were peeking," she said, looking him over as the blanket fell away, turning to completely face him.

He wrapped his arms around her middle, lifting her off her knees and laying her on the bed. "You were pretty silly to ask me not to." He covered her with his body, entrenching his waist between her thighs and the warmth emanating from her core felt very inviting. He brushed his nose along hers, wanting more than anything to kiss her, and even knowing she probably wanted him to, was 99 percent positive, there was still that one percent that caused him to doubt, so instead he pressed his lips to her jaw.

He left a trail of soft kisses down her neck, gently tasting her skin with his tongue. Her breasts were so soft in his palms and he wondered at their amorphous changeability. Now that she was laid flat, her chest had also flattened, but her nipples puckered and hardened as he brushed his tongue over them each, sucking gently, then replacing his mouth with his fingers again to nuzzle the middle of her chest. She held him close, pressing her fingers across his shoulders, up the back of his neck to thread through his bedhead hair. "Klaus," she breathed quietly. "Your mouth feels so good."

Keeping his mouth and nose pressed to her sternum, he raised his eyebrows at her. "That," he punctuated his words with kisses back up to her collarbone; "is a very naughty thing to say to your brother." He buried his face into her neck.

"Don't" she said.

"Don't what?" he asked, nibbling at her earlobe.

She turned her head so that they were face to face, her hand still in his hair. "Don't make me feel guilty." Klaus hadn't realized that she'd had any compunctions about their current illicit activities. It made him feel better to know he wasn't the only guilty party, but right now, lust outweighed any shame he might be experiencing.

So he laughed, a low chuckle. "Don't worry. I like it when you're naughty," and he waggled his eyebrows at her, teasing, so that she laughed, too. His hands and mouth made their way slowly down the center of her body. He palmed her hips and inner thighs, swirling his tongue around her belly button, and he was amused at Violet's body language. Her chest heaved with arousal and anticipation and the fingers that massaged his scalp were pushing ever so slightly, urging him lower, and she opened her legs easily to make room for him.

When his mouth finally reached her soft mound Violet gave a quiet cry of need. Klaus sucked the satiny, pink flesh, rubbing the flat of his tongue over it, and her legs trembled violently around him. "Oh God," she gasped, a little too loudly in the communal room. Her hands tangled tightly in his hair now, but he didn't mind. He dipped his tongue through her slick folds, then repeated sucking lightly on her clitoris. She tasted warm and tangy, and his saliva mixed with her own juices made her very wet indeed.

His hands encircled her thighs, kneading the soft flesh, brushing his fingertips along her tender pink spots to tentatively press a finger into her. Again, her thighs tightened around him, shaking with sensation, and every now and then she would buck her hips, then whisper; "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Klaus had no idea what she was sorry for. Finding no resistance, he slipped another finger in and pumped them in time with his licks.

She reached for the pillow and covered her face with it, maybe to muffle her harsh breaths, but Klaus would have none of that. He wanted to see her, wanted to hear her lose herself. Violet was a very controlled person usually. Not controlling, but she did like things to be in order, prepared for, and she tried very, very hard to be a reliable, authority figure within their small family, which meant she usually had control of almost every situation they faced. She was generous to a fault and silly though it might seem, Klaus felt good that he might actually have something to give her. He was enjoying her pleasure a lot. Reaching up quickly, he pulled the pillow away from her and flung it behind him. She only shook her head at his antics, laughing with eyes shut tight, demanding; "Don't stop."

He didn't stop and he knew when her climax was building. Violet's hands scrabbled at the blankets, fisting them instead of his hair and every breath she took was a quick moan that got louder the closer she got to breaking, but the moment she orgasmed, she became silent, holding her breath, her body quaking around him. He could feel the soft pulsing of her vagina around his fingers, then came the final ragged exhale. He continued for just a moment more, slowing, then stopping when her fingers came back to the top of his head.

Turning his face into her thigh, he closed his eyes and pressed his lips into her skin. It had been very easy to lose themselves in the bubble of their cubby hole bed, but as the pounding of his heart faded and Violet's breaths softened, he began to notice the various sounds of the room; suitcase zippers, muffled voices and laughter, the scraping of luggage on the floor and the further away sounds coming from the bathrooms and café. He couldn't bring himself to feel very embarrassed about their own obvious tendency towards exhibitionism.

He climbed back up her body, feeling again her wet warmth and how inviting it still was, how good it felt just to press his weight onto Violet. She looked beautiful in the aftermath of her orgasm, cheeks bright spots of pink, messy hair and her eyes heavy lidded as she watched his movements. When she felt his erection pressed against her, her mouth parted seductively, back arching only slightly to bring herself closer to him and she rocked her pelvis towards him, causing a lovely friction.

"Klaus," she hesitated, pressing her fingers down his spine, eyes boldly lingering on his then shifting to look at his mouth. "I want you," she admitted, ready to give herself to him in a heartbeat.

And as much as would have liked that, there was something that held him back. He stroked her rosy cheek with his thumb. "Is it still just sex, Violet?" Because, God, it had begun to be something a bit more for him. "It doesn't mean anything?" He wasn't sure he could fully give his body to her without also losing his heart.

She looked away from him, towards the wall, and it felt like an answer. He nodded, pressing his lips into her sternum. "Maybe we should think about getting our showers," he suggested softly, practically. She nodded, still not looking at him, and he thought he saw her wipe a tear away. Then she covered her face with her hands so he couldn't see her. "Hey," he pulled her arms down. "What is it?"

"Nothing," but her words squeaked out through tears. She shook her head, sniffling, trying to take deep breaths. "I'm just being silly." She tried to put on a smile, but Klaus was not convinced and he cursed himself because of course she would feel rejected when she had so obviously put herself out there, telling him what she wanted, what she thought he wanted, trusting him. She twisted her body, ready to be out from under his scrutiny and he sat up, letting her go. She fumbled around in the blankets, still searching for her discarded clothes, tossing his shirt towards him when she found it. She didn't look at him when she pulled their suitcase from underneath the bed to find clean clothes and her toiletry bag. "Meet you in the front room in a bit and we'll find somewhere for breakfast?" Her voice was strained and Klaus felt horrible and regretful for messing things up between them.

"Hey," he tried to grab her hand, and she did give his a squeeze, but then let go to walk down the long aisle of beds in their dorm and disappear out the door. He didn't fully understand. If it was just sex to her, then why did it matter so much? Had she realized how much Klaus had come to feel for her and felt sorry for leading him on? If it didn't mean anything, then why did it feel like it meant everything? He tried to turn his mind off because it only wandered in circles.

Violet was back at their bed when he'd finished his shower. He dropped off his dirty clothes and toiletries and she'd waited for him. "Hey," she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him down to sit next to her on the bed. "I'm sorry. I took things way too far earlier, and then…I overreacted. I'm sorry."

Klaus was shaking his head, "Don't apologize. I'm the one who should apologize. I didn't mean to…"

Violet held up both hands, interrupting him. "Let's not talk about it anymore. I would prefer to have a really nice day with you and I don't want things to be…awkward between us."

"Violet…" Klaus started.

Standing abruptly, she interrupted again. "I'm starving. Let's go find something to eat."

With a frustrated huff, Klaus stood, too. They looked at each other for a moment, but something in Violet's countenance was frail and too vulnerable, so he let it go. "Fine," he sighed. He didn't know why it felt like they were fighting.

In silence, they walked down the hill from the hostel to Equator, a coffee shop that Violet had had her eye on. The inside smelled wonderfully of roasted coffee beans and vanilla. There was quite a long line so they had plenty of time to choose what they wanted from the menu. When it was Klaus's turn he ordered an Earl Grey tea with milk and honey, and a blueberry muffin. He gestured to Violet beside him so that the barista would know their order was together. Violet ordered a café au lait, a slice of veggie quiche, a scone, and a yogurt bowl. Klaus gave her a funny look while he dug his wallet from his back pocket. "What? I'm hungry," she said defensively.

He gave a low chuckle as he handed over some bills. He raised an eyebrow at her, smirking and said under his breath, "I'll bet you are." Not really meaning for Violet to hear him, but getting an elbow to his ribs anyway, they quickly moved into a small table as a couple of teen girls were just leaving. They gobbled down their food and nursed their paper cups of hot beverage, talking over their plans for the day, but the conversation was stilted. Things had changed and Klaus hated it.

Klaus had earlier decided that Alcatraz was a must see on their vacation, so today was the day. It was a mile and a half walk to the ferry line that took tourists over the freezing water to the old island prison. The morning was swiftly turning into afternoon when they picked their way through the crowded streets toward the bay. The traffic and the trolley were a constant crisscross commotion of speed and motion, and the hills in San Francisco were steep. Many times the sidewalk was higher than the road by at least two feet, making traversing the busy sidewalks daunting.

At one point Klaus had stopped to look in the window of a promising second hand book store and when he pointed out a certain volume on West Coast cookery that Sunny might have liked, he realized his sister was not at his side. He scanned up and down the bustling sidewalk, spotting Violet's shiny dark head and denim jacket in the crowd. She was turning circles looking for him also. Just as he was about to wave to get her attention, the door to a small café opened near her and a large group of tourists poured out onto the sidewalk, enveloping her in their midst, heedless of her, herding her nearer and nearer to the edge of the steep curb.

Klaus could see what was about to happen, but it only got worse as he heard the trolley bells approaching from behind him, coming quickly down the hill. He took off as fast as he could, shouldering people out of the way, never slowing, but keeping his eyes pinned on her even as he saw her foot slip off the edge of the concrete and her arms begin to pinwheel. "Violet!" he called loudly, panicking, making it to her, but only barely.

He'd got a handful of her shirt, and he was sorry to say later, probably a pretty large handful of skin. He yanked hard, reaching another arm around her waist to pull her bodily towards him just as the trolley zipped by, making their hair blow around their faces. He lost his footing for only a moment, then they were both facing one another, feet planted firmly on the sidewalk. They were breathless and pale, and Klaus tugged her fiercely into his full embrace, squeezing her like he might never let go. He breathed a long sigh of relief, burying his nose in the top of her head.

Violet was squeezing him back, arms curled under his and over his shoulders. Into his chest she laughed and said, "I thought I was a goner."

Seriously, he replied, "I thought I'd lost you." He wrapped his hands around the base of her skull and leaned back to look at her.

"You can't get rid of me that easily," she teased, but he was so strained over the whole episode he really just wanted to frogmarch her back to the hostel and make her lay safe in the bed all day. They were awakened from their tense little bubble by a burst of applause from the people around them. Individuals clapped Klaus on the back, congratulating him on such a heroic act, and Klaus and Violet's faces went from white to pink with all of the attention.

When everybody had finally moved on, and Klaus still hadn't let Violet out of his embrace yet, she smiled up at him. "My hero," and she leaned up on her tippy toes to give him a chaste kiss on the lips.

He ignored her praise. "Should we go back?" he said, looking up the hill in the direction of the hostel.

"What?" she asked. "Why?" She shook her head before he could answer. "No, I thought you wanted to go to Alcatraz today? It's our last free day. Let's not spend it in the hostel."

"I know, but just to be on the safe side," he answered.

"No," she replied firmly. "Alcatraz will be fun. Come on." But she didn't try to move out of his arms, and he wouldn't have let her. "I'm fine," she assured him after a moment, for the second time that day.

He nodded, but kept at least one of her hands firmly in his for the rest of the way, only letting go when he absolutely needed two hands for himself or if they needed to use the restroom. Klaus continued to feel a bit pressed by the crowd even as they bought their tickets for the ferry and stood in the long line to board the boat. Was it just that their near catastrophe had drudged up bad memories? Violet seemed the epitome of calm yet he could feel the adrenaline continue to pump through his veins.

When it was finally their turn to board the boat, Violet led them straight up the stairs to the upper deck, where the chilly bay wind blew through their hair. Already most of the seats were taken, so they stood at the back of the boat, leaning against the rail. When the boat began to move, Violet leaned her torso over the rail. "Let's look for sea lions."

Klaus pulled her around by her hand that he still kept clasped in his. "Let's not," he said stoically.

She softened at his hard attitude, wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning on him, her body melting into his as he tightened his embrace. "I'm okay," she reassured again.

Klaus felt only relief to be able to hold her again. "What if I couldn't have gotten to you?" he reprimanded. "You could have been gone in the blink of an eye! How can you be so calm?" he asked, internally agonizing over how quickly he could've lost Violet.

She pulled back minutely to look at him and said simply, "I'm with you, aren't I? You've always kept me safe." He made a face tinged with disapproval, screwing his mouth up to the side, which she only laughed at. "I don't know what to say to make you feel better, Klaus. I promise not to get run over by any trolleys for the rest of the day?"

He knew he was being obstinate. He took a deep breath. "At least promise me that until the end of the year." She nodded, but let him hold her until it was time to debark.

Alcatraz was actually quite beautiful for a prison. Some of the buildings had an old European feel to them and there were even gardens to walk through. The pair were given headphones for an audio tour of the inside. The silence of the tourists listening to their headphones made the prison seem very eerie. There were no voices, only the sound of footsteps and a shuffling of jackets as groups made their way through the halls and cell blocks.

Klaus particularly enjoyed the history of Alcatraz, while Violet laughed at some of the interesting ways that prisoners had tried to escape in the past and how she, Klaus and Sunny could have done it so much better. How many crazy inventions had the Baudelaire's had to come up with to escape terrible situations? Breaking out of prison? No problem.

The pair walked slowly from room to room, hand in hand. Every now and then Violet would wrap her arm around his waist to lay her head on his chest or lean up on tiptoes to place a small kiss on his cheek. Was it that easy? Did they just go from platonic to lovers in a few days away from home? It should feel wrong, but it only felt comfortable and right. It took a bit of self-control to not pull Violet into some dark corner and kiss her senseless. But then Klaus would remember that Violet probably didn't feel the same way about him. It was one thing to have a little fun on vacation and another to have an entire upheaval in their relationship. Besides, what would Sunny say? He hated to think about that. None of this kept him from getting his hopes up or from feeling his heart swell with every tender look Violet gave him.

After buying several souvenirs and books in the gift shop, Violet pulled him into the line for the return ferry. This time they found two seats together, out of the wind because Violet was feeling chilly. She put her arm through Klaus's as they sat quietly together, but she kept glancing at him. He'd been perusing the children's book they'd gotten for Beatrice, but he had the feeling that Violet had something to say. Even though he sort of dreaded what it might be, he finally said, closing the book matter of factly and giving her his full attention; "Out with it."

She made a face, like maybe she wasn't quite ready to say what she needed to. He raised his eyebrows in expectation. "About this morning…" and Klaus felt a clenching in his stomach, but forced himself to take a deep breath and nod. "I shouldn't have asked you. I took things too far. It's just that it…that you felt so good, and I wanted more."

"And I shouldn't have said no," he said immediately. "I've regretted how… well, things didn't exactly go…I don't know," he stumbled with his explanation, but she only squeezed his hand in understanding. Klaus was sure if he had the morning to do all over again, he would not hesitate to make love with Violet. What difference did it make if it was only sex to her? It wouldn't have mattered. It didn't make sense to punish them both over something as trivial as what kind of love they felt for each other. Love was love and Violet loved him, he was sure, as she had her whole life. No brother and sister could be closer than Klaus and Violet. Was that the problem? Had they spent so much time together that their lines had become crossed?

There wasn't enough time to finish their conversation, as much time was spent trying to think of the right words to say, and they were back on the mainland and fighting the crowds again. The next attraction they visited was the San Francisco Maritime National Park, where the siblings had an opportunity to learn about the ships and submarines in the history of San Francisco. Lunch was eaten at a crowded seafood restaurant. Violet said they had to have fresh seafood while they were visiting the coast. It was good, though the restaurant itself smelled very fishy. They asked to sit outside on the patio and could hear the sea lions barking from several piers over.

Next Klaus took Violet to a special place he'd read about in his travel guide, The Musée Méchanique. It was a treasure trove of ancient arcade machines, robotic marionettes, fortune telling machines, and other electronic machineries from times forgotten. Violet was delighted by the theme of the museum and ooh'd and aah'd over gears, fan belts and wind-up toys like no other girl her age Klaus had ever met. Animated film reels filled the museum and it was a busy and noisy space, so he followed her around like a puppy dog, no, a protective guard dog.

Catching a taxi was well worth the money for the five miles to get to the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps. Day was dying and they had the whole place to themselves. After the busy day, climbing the three hundred plus steps seemed a little daunting.

"Hmm," Violet mused. "Want to make this interesting?"

"Why?" Klaus asked dubiously. "What did you have in mind? The last one up is a rotten egg?"

"We can do better than that. How about the last one up has to give the winner a back rub?" It sounded like flirting and while Klaus was trying to decide if he'd rather be on the giving or receiving end of a back rub from Violet, she hollered out, "Ready, set, go!" and began to run up the beautifully decorated stairs, leaving him in the dust.

How she had so much energy, he didn't know. He pooped out three-quarters of the way up, stopping for a short second to clutch his side and catch his breath. There really was no catching up to her now, so he resigned himself to being on the giving end of the back rub, although now he was sure he needed it more. Violet laughed in victorious glee when he reached the final step, leading him to a park bench where they could watch the sun set over the city.

"Are you nervous about tomorrow?" Klaus asked, referring to her interview.

"Maybe a little," she answered honestly. "I feel like a lot is riding on me doing well."

"I know what you're feeling," he said, the fierceness in his voice surprising her, making her turn her head sharply in his direction. "You don't have to do this in order to take care of us, Violet. Do this for you. You've worked so hard and are the most brilliant girl I'll ever know. You deserve everything good this life can offer you."

A line creased her eyebrow as Violet thought about this for a moment. "Listen, Klaus. The other day when I said you should go to school or… I don't know, get away from us for awhile, you said you wanted to stay with me?"

Klaus nodded in agreement. "Well, then, we're in this together and everything I do is for you. I want you to be happy. I shouldn't say this, but I'm glad you want to stay. I'm glad that Sunny and Beatrice can have us both, a mother and a father. And my deepest wish is that this interview goes well and we can all have a better future."

He pulled her close by her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. She smiled and added, "Besides, you helped me with all of the research. You worked just as hard as I did. You should really be going to the interview with me."

Klaus shook his head. "Researchers don't get the credit. The inventors do and you deserve it."

They found a quick bite to eat, nothing special, because they were still mostly full from lunch and found a quick taxi back to Fort Mason. Sunday night at the hostel didn't seem as full as the start of the weekend. They probably could have had two beds, but Klaus didn't mention it to Violet as they passed the front desk. He was ready to brush his teeth, lay down, and call it a day. Vacations were exhausting.

Still holding hands, they wound their way through the halls and the aisles of beds and stopped short in surprise upon reaching the tall window by their own bed. Tim and Jen were gone and in their bed lay a very rotund, red-cheeked, round baby-faced young man playing a handheld video game. Klaus could see that Violet was disappointed. The older couple had been friendly and the nightly show had been interesting and inspiring. As Violet pulled out their suitcase, she said lowly, "I guess it would have been nice to say goodbye."

Klaus huffed a barely audible laugh through his nose and Violet gave him a wry look. "Meet you back here for my back rub in ten," she said and he let out a groan. "No, I don't want to hear any excuses. Fair is fair," she said over her shoulder as she headed to the bathroom to change.

Klaus brushed his teeth with the same pimple faced youth from the other night and the young man gave Klaus a nod of recognition before spitting a blob of toothpaste into the sink and heading out. With the sink all to himself Klaus took the time to wash his face and hands, peering at himself for a long moment in the mirror, trying to imagine what everybody else saw. Probably just a tall guy with glasses, dark curls on top of his head, in need of a shave. What did Violet see? Perhaps a little brother- someone to protect at all costs at their parents bidding. Or maybe a partner- someone to help with the girls and research better ways to invent. Did she think he was handsome? He knew that he was not classically good-looking, not with big muscles and tanned skin and blond hair, but he supposed his features were rather pleasant, as all the Baudelaires had been described at one point or another.

"Hey man," came a man's voice from behind him. "You done?" The man obviously wanted a turn at the sink for he was shirtless and held a towel and a toiletry bag.

"Yeah," replied Klaus, coming out of his introspection. "It's all yours."

Violet once again beat him back to the bed and the curtain was closed already. He stowed away his toiletries and climbed in to their shared cubby. She was dressed in one of his tee shirts that said 'Read, Return, Repeat' on the front and it barely covered her blue cotton panties. The sight of her so skimpily dressed had him turned on in an instant. He hadn't known if their exploration would continue tonight after this morning's embarrassing encounter, but he'd been determined to just follow Violet's lead.

He slid out of his pants awkwardly on the bed while Violet watched, and threw them down to the foot. Then he took his shirt off, too. He got onto his knees and sat back on his feet. "You ready?" he asked and she only nodded, smiling. She turned on her knees to face the foot of the bed, kneeling but letting her legs fan out beside her in a w. She often sat like this on the floor at home when working on a project that had lots of pieces. She said it helped her balance and gave her leverage.

Klaus pushed all of her hair over to one side and began to rub her shoulders, pressing his thumbs into the muscles and slowly moving them up her neck. She hung her head forward in relaxation. He ran his hands down her shoulders to squeeze her upper arms, sliding them back up into the sleeves of the tee shirt so that he was touching the skin of her back. Klaus concentrated on giving a good shoulder rub, then took his hands out of the sleeves to press his fingers down her spine, all the way to her hip bones and then back up under the shirt, hands on skin again.

Quietly, in her ear, he said, "I think I want my shirt back." He tugged at the sides of the 'Read, Return, Repeat' tee to indicate what shirt he meant. She made a sound of mock disappointment with her tongue against the back of her teeth, but held her arms up over her head. He pulled the shirt right off without hesitation and the next slide of his hands up her body had them filled with Violet's breasts. She sighed in pleasure.

Klaus pressed his mouth to her neck, dropping open-mouthed kisses across her shoulder and back. He ran his hands over her sides again, massaging still, but as he pulled them over her skin on the way back down to her waist she made a soft, unconscious sound of pain.

"Did I hurt you, Violet?" he asked softly, stilling.

She shook her head. "It's nothing." Her voice was breathless, careless.

He was more on alert, looking at her carefully, and he noticed a large bruise just under her shoulder blade. The blemish was dark purple, fresh, and looked painful. "What's this?" he asked, circling his fingers around it.

"What's what?" she asked, sounding a little confused at the tangent Klaus had taken.

"Where did you get this bruise?" and he pressed his finger into it to see if it hurt.

She only flinched a bit, looking over her shoulder at him. "I didn't even know it was there. It doesn't hurt," she reassured him.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Well," she hesitated. "When you grabbed my shirt to keep me on the curb you might have pinched some skin. I think the little pain was well worth it, don't you?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" he accused, looking at the bruise and running his fingers over it again.

"You had just saved me from death by trolley," she said matter of factly, with a slight roll of her eyes. "I wasn't about to complain about a little pinch."

He felt bad and made a face. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be silly," she said. "I'm a big girl. I can handle a little hurt every now and then." And the way she said it was sexy, like she wasn't talking about her bruise anymore. "Okay? You don't have to be so careful with me." When he hesitated she reached for his hands and brought them to her breasts again, squeezing them, pressing his hands into her hard.

Violet twisted in his embrace, turning to him, and her face was so close, her mouth tantalizing. The urge to kiss her lips was strong, to lay her down and make love to her the way he'd missed this morning. There was no way he could kiss her and keep his love for her a secret at the same time. It was just sex and he had to keep reminding himself, but she was staring at his mouth, her desire obvious, and he felt his will power crumbling.

Violet leaned forward and Klaus's heart began to thump double time. He was sure that if Violet kissed him he most likely wouldn't stop it…didn't actually want to stop it. It seemed like a silly thing to worry about in the face of what he was hoping would happen between them tonight, but her lips fell just to the side of his mouth, full and soft, and the feel of it tugged hard at his chest, causing him to inhale sharply and his own lips to tremble in anticipation. He turned to catch her lips, but she'd already slid her mouth over his cheek and was sucking softly at the skin just under his jawline.

He scooted his knees in-between her legs, embracing her tightly to his chest, loving the feel of her soft breasts and belly. Making a little room between them, she explored the planes of his torso, running her fingertips through the soft hair that grew on his chest and down a line on his stomach, pressing lightly into his belly button, reaching down to clasp his hips, to push at his underwear until he let go of her to push them down and off. She laid back in the bed and he pulled her panties down her legs, then followed her, laying over her, nestled sweetly between her thighs that bent on either side of him.

Then it was Klaus's turn to spread kisses across her form, until he could suck a nipple into his mouth, feeling the pertness of it with his tongue, then let it go to watch it pucker and glisten with his saliva in the low light. She arched her back just slightly, wanting more. She wasn't shy with Klaus and that made him feel braver, positive that she would let him know, one way or another, if she liked what he did. He repeated the action with the other breast.

In her position, she was open very wide for him to reach down between their bodies and spread his fingers through her silky slickness. Klaus was vaguely aware that the overhead light in the communal room was still on, could hear the murmuring of voices coming from the other beds and liked to think he wouldn't embarrass himself too much, but in reality didn't really care. Violet seemed to like the way he pumped his fingers in and out of her and began to move her hips in time, stimulating him until he thought he might go crazy for the want of her. He removed his hand so that he could thrust lightly through her soft folds. He pulled her hands over her head, stretching her body out for him to see, and he kissed the pale inside of her arms. She giggled when he reached her ticklish spots, twisting her hands out of his grasp to cover herself. He chuckled at her instinctive and childish reaction. God, he knew her and loved her. Overwhelmed by a sureness, a deep want, Klaus felt so ready for her.

He whispered into her ear. "Violet, do you still want me?"

She nodded, breathing out a "Yes," and reaching for him, pressed him closer to her, sliding her hands along his shoulder blades, his sides, his bottom.

He felt his erection pulse in arousal, getting just a little bit harder if that was possible. He nodded, his mouth against her neck, one hand stroking down her side and hip, guiding himself, slowly and surely, into her tight warmth.

"Oh God, Violet," he said into her skin, not daring to look at her, feeling too vulnerable to bear any scrutiny. He felt a spike of adrenaline in his veins, born of excitement and shame, but it was a bearable jab to his conscience. She clasped her hands around his arms and the two began to move in tandem. They started slow, getting used to the feel of being joined, learning each other's movements. It felt so good to be with her like this, to hear her pleasure, to wrap himself around her soft body. It was its own kind of protection and he felt an irrational jealousy all of the sudden. He wanted Violet to be his and only his. He had to remind himself once more that it was only sex.

He'd worried about not knowing exactly what to do, but it was all feeling and sensation and instinct that was hard to ignore. Whispering sweet nothings in her ear, he began to pick up a little speed, thrusting his hips faster, and she voiced her encouragement. He made a soft shushing sound, vaguely aware that the overhead light was off now, but could still hear the murmur of other voices in the room.

Violet was trembling, her muscles strung so tight, and he knew she was close. Pulling back slightly, wanting to watch her, he'd momentarily forgotten about the sweet temptation her mouth posed, but she looked enchanting with her dark hair spread under her, and her lips parted as she panted out harsh breaths. She tangled her fingers pleasurably tight into his hair, pulling his face to hers so that his forehead and nose pressed against hers, their mouths brushing enticingly with each upward thrust from Klaus, her lips saying his name against his lips.

"Klaus…Klaus!" Violet was looking right into his eyes, then her head arched back and her thighs tightened around his waist. He could feel the gentle way her core pulsed around him.

"Are you…okay?" he asked her, out of breath, and not slowing.

Louder than she probably should have, she answered; "Yes, God, don't stop!"

They were both covered in a fine sheen of sweat and Klaus could feel tendrils of perspiration snake their way through his hair and onto his neck, but he liked the way his torso slid across hers, and the way each forward thrust would force a small moan out of Violet's mouth, so he just curled his arms under hers and placed hot, wet kisses across her cheekbone. He held out for only another minute or so before he felt the tingling in his spine that foretold his orgasm. By placing his mouth in the crook of her neck and shoulder, Klaus muffled his groans as he ejected his semen forcefully and pleasurably, his muscles spasming when the sensation became too much.

Everything became still, and he couldn't tell if it was Violet's heart pounding so fast or his own. His breaths were hot and damp over her skin, causing goosebumps to raise on her arms and chest, and she shivered a little. Klaus dreaded the moment when he would have to pull out of the comforting warmth his sister was providing. He knew he was squishing her at this point, but tried to atone with soft kisses over her earlobe and down her neck. She was breathing just as heavy as he was, her eyes closed and cheeks feverishly warm.

Finally, he slowly pulled out his softening penis and the action elicited another aroused moan from Violet. He laid on his side next to her, propped up on an elbow and she turned toward him, draping an arm over his waist and hid her face in his chest. He drew little shapes on her back with the tip of his finger until her breathing softened into a slow, relaxed rhythm.

Before she could fall asleep, he nudged her hip, moving to get under the blanket of their bed. They rearranged themselves around one another again, Klaus laying on his back, his arm comfortably under Violet as she rested her head in the crook of his arm. She idly played with the hair on his stomach. He wasn't looking at her, but could feel her smiling at him.

Finally he laughed quietly, starting to feel self conscious. "What?" he asked.

"Klaus…" she started with a smile in her voice, making him look at her. "Were you a… I mean, was that your first time?"

What a silly question. When in the world would he have ever been away from her long enough to spend enough time with a girl in order to convince her to have sex with him and be able to keep it all a secret from Violet? It wasn't like there was a line of girls knocking on his door. Most people thought he was already 'with' Violet and that they had two daughters, which was basically true!

"You know that it was," he answered matter of factly, then all of a sudden worried that maybe she had done it before with some stranger to him and he felt an acute sense of betrayal. "Have…" God, his voice quavered embarrassingly. He cleared his throat. "Have you done that…before?" He held his breath, bracing himself as he waited for her answer.

She laughed out loud, delighted for some reason unknown to him. "Of course not. When would I have? In between work and picking Beatrice and Sunny up from school?" Violet was greatly amused by this thought. "Besides," she answered with sweet certainty. "I like coming home to you," and she leaned up and gave him a chaste peck on his lips.

He huffed a small laugh from his nose. She leaned up on her arms so she could see him. Her face was earnest now in the darkness of the room. "I guess…I'm just glad that my first time was with you," she whispered this part. "I know it isn't right, per se, but…"

"It feels right," he finished for her. She nodded, reaching out to swipe her fingers across his forehead, pushing his hair back, then twirled her finger into one of his curls. She was gazing at him adoringly and he wondered at what she might be feeling. They said no more and she finally laid her head back down and soon she was asleep, their bodies tangled pleasantly together, comfortable.

Just sex? Maybe not.


	4. Chapter 4 The End

Blaring car horns, the dinging of the trolley bells, people pressing him on all sides so that he couldn't move and to top it all off, Violet was screaming. The sounds filled his mind with terror, but when Klaus woke suddenly, eyes shooting open to find himself in the single bed the hostel had provided the Baudelaires, the air was actually so silent that all he could hear was an intense ringing in his ears. His throat was dry; he couldn't swallow, and he was trying to catch his breath like he'd been running instead of just sleeping. He instinctively reached his hand out for Violet, but she wasn't asleep beside him. He called out for her in the silence, panic from his nightmare spilling all over the place.

"Violet?" he said, too loud for the early morning. There was only faint light coming though the window, through their cubby hole curtain. He felt a hand on his leg and he sat up quickly.

"Hey." Violet was there at the foot of the bed, back against the cubby hole wall, legs stretched out, perpendicular, over his and crossed comfortably at the ankles. She held her notebook open on her lap and a pen in one hand. She had already showered. Her hair was damp and brushed, and she was dressed in jeans and had on his 'Read, Return, Repeat' shirt again, presumably dug out from the crumpled blankets at the bottom of the bed. Klaus knew she would normally have her ribbon in when she was working, but she hated to tie her hair up before it was completely dry. He breathed a sigh of relief to see her and only felt a little embarrassed at his panic.

"Hey," she repeated. "Were you having a bad dream?" Violet patted his shoulder comfortingly.

"Yeah, I guess so," he answered. "Sorry about that." She gave him a sad, knowing smile, shrugged, and closed her book.

"Well," she said, eyes widening slightly, and her mouth transformed into a grin. "Now that you're awake, I'm going to head to the café to do some work and I need a cup of coffee. I just didn't want to leave without telling you and I didn't want to wake you, either." She reached out to run her thumb over his chin. "It's early. You can go back to sleep if you want to." She leaned forward like she might kiss him, but instead whispered in his ear. "As much as I like the view in here…" She ran her hand over his bared thigh and he followed her gaze to realize he was still totally naked, the blankets all bunched to the side or down at the foot of the bed, and of no use to his modesty at all.

"Oh, God," he exclaimed, though quietly, and he thrust his hands through his bedhead hair and scrubbed at his cheeks. She extricated herself from the cubby hole and he quietly called after her retreating form. "Voyeur!" and grinned when he heard her quiet delighted laughter.

The hostel was nearly empty this morning and Klaus didn't even have to wait in line for a shower, so took his time standing under the hot stream of water. He dressed and shaved, dropped his used clothes off in the suitcase and headed down the hall to find his sister.

Her interview wasn't until mid-afternoon, so they had decided to spend the morning riding the trolley to Ghiradelli Square, maybe grabbing some lunch before Violet would need to take a taxi to her interview. He met up with Violet in the café. He ordered his own espresso and a muffin and scooted into the booth next to her, bumping her hip, but her hair was tied up now and her mind was a million miles away as she gazed at the information in front of her.

"Good Morning," he said cheerfully, taking a large bite of muffin, then tore off a piece and offered it to Violet. She absently opened her mouth to take the food from his fingers.

"Can you look over these numbers here, Klaus, and just double check the math? Something seems off and I can't quite put my finger on it." She laid the book out in front of them, pointing to the right column, then stole a sip of his coffee.

He glanced at the rows of numbers knowing he practically knew this information by heart. They had been over it a thousand times, checking through every detail with a fine-toothed comb. He understood her hesitation on this particular column, but the variables were unfamiliar, making the numbers seem a little skewed, but…well, it didn't hurt to check once more.

After a few minutes of scribbling on a paper napkin, he looked up to see his muffin almost demolished. He grabbed the last bite quickly and pushed it in his mouth at once. "The numbers are right, Violet," he reassured, getting up to get more food. "What can I get you to eat?"

"Do they have a lemon one?" she asked, pulling the notebook back in front of her. "And, you'll probably need another coffee." Klaus clucked his tongue in mock disapproval. He was glad she wasn't so nervous that she wasn't eating. They spent most of the morning going over the specs for the invention again. Klaus loved it when he could lose himself in a project, especially when he could work with Violet, who was as dedicated as she was skilled. Their individual talents merged well to create a partnership that transcended genius, but he was a little biased.

"Do you still want to try to get to Ghiradelli Square this morning?" she asked, putting the work away when she was satisfied there was nothing that needed any correction. It would be embarrassing to show up to the tech company with faulty information.

"I wouldn't mind, if you're feeling up to it."

"Yeah, I'm ready when you are. We've been sitting here long enough." They grabbed what they needed from their cubby and caught the trolley to one of the most historic sites in San Francisco. The morning was warm and the sounds of sea lions and sea gulls wafted up the hill from the pier. Rush hour was over and there were plenty of seats on the trolley.

Rows of eateries and designer shops lined the inside halls of their destination, and the display windows were filled with whatever beautiful things each store was selling. Myriads of pencils and pens and erasers, cards, maps, posters, stickers and more filled an interesting stationery shop that held their attention for awhile and they took their time to pick out a few things each for Beatrice and Sunny.

Chocolate, of course, was one of the main reasons the pair had come. Several shops sold chocolates in all shapes and sizes, and Violet enjoyed picking out more souvenirs for the girls and also some unusual chocolate bars for her and Klaus to try.

Many of the shops sold designer clothes, which the Baudelaires had never been interested in, but one shop window kept catching Violet's eye as they walked past. The white, faceless mannequin wore a very tasteful pants suit made of the deepest violet color with a patterned blouse that matched under the tailored, cropped jacket. Klaus had noticed Violet's interest so stopped her at the window on the second time by. He knew she would never ask for anything so extravagant as new clothes, but this interview was also very important.

They stared at the window for a long moment, then Klaus said, "I think it would look very nice on you."

"I'm sure it's too expensive," she answered automatically, wistful.

"You should try it on."

She was shaking her head but her gaze had drifted to the open door of the boutique. "It wouldn't be fair to you. It probably costs all of the funny money we have left."

"Well, good thing that vacation is almost over, then." She gave him a sideways glance, still uncertain.

"It does look very professional. Maybe it would make me look a little older?"

"You won't know until you try it on," Klaus encouraged.

Relenting, she led the way into the brightly lit store and sifted through the rack to find her size. An older woman led Violet to the dressing room and Klaus to a chair that she said was designated for patient husbands. Cheerful music played over hidden speakers somewhere but Klaus didn't recognize the song. After the third song Violet came out of the curtained dressing room to show Klaus the outfit.

The pants suit did make her look older and more professional. It gave her an aura of authority, yet she looked very feminine. The well-cut suit accentuated her small curves and made her legs look as long as a mile. Klaus was nodding away. "Yeah," he said adamantly. "You look really good."

Violet smiled and spun around for him to see her from all sides. "I hate to admit it, but I really like it. I was afraid that once I tried it on I wouldn't be able to say no. This is your fault. This was your idea," she accused playfully.

"If you like it, we should definitely get it. As long as we have enough money for the taxi to the interview and a taxi back to the airport, then it's fine if you want to use the rest," he encouraged.

She made an irresolute face and left him to change back into her day clothes. They counted out their money and were pleasantly surprised when the cashier told them the price would be discounted 40 percent, leaving them plenty of money still for dinner tonight and the two taxi rides they had to make. Violet fairly glowed with happiness at the prospect of having such nice, new clothes to wear to the interview, increasing her confidence tenfold.

On the trolley back to the hostel, Violet had opened two of the chocolate bars and was chatting merrily about their plans for the rest of the day, breaking off small pieces of orange flavored chocolate to place first into her own mouth, then alternately into his. He was enjoying her happiness and the ease with which she so intimately fed him. He especially liked the way Violet would suck the melted chocolate residue off her thumb and forefinger after each time she deposited a piece in its respective mouth. He watched her for a long time, growing slightly aroused when his thoughts turned a bit naughty, remembering scenes from the night before.

The next time she reached over to pop a bite into his mouth, he grabbed her wrist, sucking her finger into his own mouth before she could get it to hers. Her happy stream of words stopped abruptly and she stared at him, her mouth parted and her forehead high in surprise. He let her finger pop out of his mouth then sucked her thumb in next to lathe it with his tongue, also.

"Klaus," she said. "I…I didn't know…" Her words faltered as he let her thumb go. He was smiling at her, eyebrows raised for her to continue. "I mean…I think I've fallen for you. I think I fell a long time ago."

Klaus's mind burst into a million colors and you couldn't have wiped the smile off of his face. "In love?" he asked, sort of stupidly, but he had to be sure.

She nodded and his mouth was on hers, not hesitating, but desperate and sure. With his hand at the back of her head, his thumb on her cheek, he held her steady while she clutched a handful of his shirt, chocolate bars forgotten on the trolley seat in between them. Her lips were full and as soft as they looked, not tentative either, and she tasted deliciously of chocolate and citrus, and Klaus knew he'd forever associate those flavors with this moment in time. He kissed her deeply, practically pulling her into his lap. Luckily there were few passengers on the trolley and no one took any notice of them.

He'd been so afraid that if he kissed Violet she would be able to tell that he loved her and he now knew he'd been right to hold back. He felt the emotion pouring out of him, the joy and the love and the relief that Violet felt the same for him. Also, the fear and apprehension that he associated with guilt made his hands shake just a little. He didn't know how this was going to work out. He had no plans… but, this? Kissing her? Well, kissing her made him feel like…finally. Things just clicked together in his brain, in his heart, and he knew that it couldn't ever have turned out any other way.

When he finally slowed, holding a palm to each side of her face now, giving her a series of full, soft, chaste kisses, she managed to say in-between, "So, I take it you feel the same?" She smiled against his lips.

He nodded, pressing his forehead to hers. "I love you, Violet." The full admission made him feel dizzy and heady and made him want to start kissing her all over again. Instead, he pulled back to look at her. There were little streams of tears coming from the corners of her eyes, but she was still smiling. Klaus wiped his thumb over her wet cheeks, huffing out a small laugh. "I hope these are tears of joy."

Violet laughed, too, pulling away totally to scrub at her face with her palms and she pointed out that they were almost to their stop. Before the trolley could come to a full stop, though, Violet reached over to Klaus and pulled him to her by his neck for another lovely kiss before they gathered their things and hopped off the trolley to climb the hill, hand in hand, up to the hostel, where they shared another lingering embrace.

An hour later, outside the hostel, Klaus helped his sister climb into the taxi. She was dressed in her new clothes and a pair of black flats. She had finagled her hair into a sleek ponytail, tied with her trusty ribbon. She wore just a hint of mascara and lipstick and seemed almost a foreign creature to Klaus as he carefully handed her the wrapped up invention and her small case that held all of their notes and her presentation.

"I wish you were coming with me," she sounded uncertain.

He reached through the open window of the taxi to squeeze her hand. "You'll be great."

She took a long, deep breath in and exhaled fast. She nodded. "Okay."

"See you soon. Good luck!" Klaus smiled reassuringly and tapped the roof of the car as he straightened, waving to Violet until the taxi disappeared down the drive.

They'd had no idea how long she would be, so he stuck his hands in his pockets and meandered down the hill alone, heading for the pier and the interesting tourist shops around there. He leaned over the rails to get a better view of the sea lions that fought over small floating pieces of dock. Their noise and their smell was terrible, but Klaus found the unusual animals amusing, anyway. He remembered that he sometimes used to think that the baby Beatrice had been noisy and smelly, but that had never stopped him from loving her. His thoughts drifted to the younger girls in his life and he felt a wave of homesickness. He couldn't remember when they'd been apart for this long. He stepped back from the edge of the pier when a crowd came along, to make room for a young family to see the sea lions, the little boys tugging at their father's hands to pick them up.

He walked in and out of souvenir shops wanting to find something for Violet. He didn't know what mood she would be in when she came back from the interview. He felt positive that things would go well, but, you never know. There were plenty of tee shirts and hats, keychains and figurines. None of these things seemed right. He found some unique objects in a back corner of a comic book store. There were several items of steampunk jewelry, with dark, heavy gears entwined with gothic roses and keys. He thought that Violet would very much enjoy the look of these, but felt positive she would never wear such heavy and showy jewelry.

A young girl with blue hair and a sleeve of colorful tattoos approached Klaus as he fingered the different pieces, testing their weight in his hand.

"Can I help you?" she offered politely.

Klaus made a face. "I'm not sure."

"Looking for something for your girlfriend?" she asked and Klaus couldn't tell if she was teasing or just curious.

"Yeah," he answered, "Something like that. These are nice. My sis…" he broke off, stopping himself. Why? He didn't know. What was it to this stranger? "Violet is a mechanical genius, but I think something maybe a little lighter…more feminine?" He absolutely had no idea what he was talking about.

"Violet, huh?" the blue haired girl asked. "I have an idea." She led him back to the counter where the cash register was. From the lighted glass case she pulled out a display of necklaces. "These are meant for birthday months- like birthstones, but these are flowers. Violets are the flower for people born in February."

"But Violet wasn't born in February."

The girl actually rolled her eyes. "Look, she doesn't have to be born in February." The girl pulled out a necklace and laid it on the counter for him to view. At the end of a thin, silver chain lay a clear oval charm surrounded by an intricate silver frame and in the center of the charm was a delicately small, pressed violet. The whole thing was less than an inch tall.

"That…is actually perfect," Klaus admitted. It did seem perfect and Klaus had enough money to pay for it, though his supper tonight would have to be light, or if he was honest with himself, non-existent. "Thanks," he said when the girl put the necklace in a sheer little gift pouch with ribbon drawstrings and then into a plastic bag, which he folded up to place into his pants pocket. The girl gave a short wave of goodbye.

Klaus wandered around the area for another hour, then walked back up the hill to the hostel, dug a book out of their cubby, and found a bench near the driveway in front of the hostel to wait for Violet…and he waited…and he waited…and he waited…and then he started to worry. Checking the time on his watch for the umpteenth time, he began to pace, cursing that the Baudelaires didn't have enough money for cell phones. Then, just when the sun was sinking fairly low over the building, just when he thought maybe he would look up the number to Omega Tech and use a pay phone to ask whoever answered if they could page Violet, she pulled up.

She did not ride back to the hostel in a taxi. Violet was driving a shiny, white hybrid car. He stared a minute at the car before he even realized it was Violet who had exited from the driver's seat and was bounding around the car towards him.

"Klaus!" she called exuberantly and jumped right into his surprised arms, throwing her arms around him. "Guess what?"

"I guess the interview went well?" he asked, dumbfounded and relieved that Violet was safe.

"Better!" she said, giving him several joyful kisses on his cheek before letting go of his neck. "Come on," she pulled on his hand, leading him into the lobby. "I have so much to tell you and we're checking out of here."

"What?" Klaus said. "I thought we weren't leaving until tomorrow?"

"Actually…if it's okay with you, we're going to stay one more day. I've already made arrangements with the sitter, so don't worry about the girls."

"But our plane tickets…"

"It's all been taken care of, Klaus. Come on. Let's load up the car and I'll explain everything on the way." Violet was already throwing toiletries haphazardly into their suitcase and looking through the rumpled blankets to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything.

"On the way to where?" He felt quite dazed.

"It's a surprise. For both of us, really."

Klaus checked out of the hostel while Violet loaded the suitcase into the backseat of the hybrid. "Do you want to drive, Klaus?" she asked him when he walked out of the hostel, holding out the keys for him to take. "I'll navigate."

"Where did the car come from?" he asked, taking the keys tentatively. They had a car at home, the oldest, rustiest, cheapest vehicle in their neighborhood, but Violet was able to keep it running for the most part. Driving this sleek, electric car made him nervous, but excited, too.

"Okay, at the bottom of the hill" - Violet checked the GPS on her phone- "Turn left."

Klaus put his seatbelt on then startled. "Wait. Where did the phone come from?"

Violet laughed delightedly. Klaus started the car and began to pull down the long drive and turned left into traffic. "Well, the interview did go very well. They love our product, Klaus. They said not only do they think it would be great for automotive use, like we planned, but also for military, agricultural and God, maybe even the space program. They were so very impressed by all the research," and she leaned over the console to run her fingers through his hair affectionately. "They do want to meet you and that's why we're staying another day. I knew you should've come with me today."

"Really? They want to meet me?" he asked humbly.

In between driving directions, Violet continued. "Anyway, not only did they want to buy our invention, well, they've given us a flat fee for it, but then we'll also get twenty percent of whatever profit they make from here on out."

"How much did they offer?" Klaus and Violet had had no idea really, what to expect, but the extravagant number that she uttered so reverently almost made Klaus drive off the road.

"That's not all. So, they've offered me a job on their creative team." With eyes wide, she said another immoderate number that would be her salary for the year. "They said I can have free rein on my projects, Klaus! They let me tour the building and showed me my office and workspace…and your office, too! Depending on meeting you tomorrow, they want us both. A team."

A huff of disbelief escaped Klaus's lips. "It sounds too good to be true."

"This is our car now, and you'll get your phone tomorrow. Of course, this is all dependent on whether we accept the position."

"You haven't accepted the position?" his heart was thumping overtime.

"It would mean moving here to San Francisco. I'm not about to make any life changing decisions without discussing it with you first. I never imagined getting a job offer, Klaus. I always thought they might be interested in buying the idea off of us. This is a whole other level that we never…" her words trailed off in her own disbelief.

They were out of the main part of the city and were driving in a more suburban area. They passed grocery stores and schools, parks and houses. "The next right," Violet instructed. This was a narrow street with row houses with pretty squares of lawn in front of tiny porches. The houses were painted all colors and looked very welcoming and quaint in the low light of the setting sun. "This one. Turn here. The blue one on the right."

Violet dug around in the glove compartment and pulled out a little black square with a button on it. She pressed it and the garage opened. "Are we meeting somebody tonight, Violet?" She smiled a secret smile.

"No, not tonight. This is where we're staying tonight. Pop the trunk. The button is down by seat." Klaus carried their suitcase and Violet carried their little carry on bag and she fished a key out of the pant's suit pocket and unlocked the door.

They walked into the kitchen from the garage. It was all blue linoleum floors and white cabinets and shiny clean appliances. The short hall led one way to a set of stairs and another to a fully furnished living room, with hard wood flooring and thick area carpets under coffee tables. A couple of plush couches lined the walls. The pair looked at each other, grinning.

Next they went up the stairs. Here there was another common room, carpeted and with empty bookshelves lining the walls, a white bathroom with a tub and shower, and a large bedroom that featured two twin beds, two closets, and more shelves. "Let's keep going," Violet urged, looking toward the stairs. Klaus hadn't even noticed that the house was three stories tall.

The last flight took them to a huge space of a bedroom. There was a large king size bed covered in thick, white comforters and pillows galore, bookended with two nightstands and reading lamps. There was a comfy looking love seat and table by a large bay window. A closet the size of Klaus's room back home led into one of the biggest bathrooms he'd ever seen, complete with a huge tub, a separate shower, two sinks and two mirrors. A stack of pale blue towels were in the linen closet next to the shower.

"This is really nice," he said, the understatement of the year. "I guess they would have somewhere like this for special guests, huh?" He turned and found Violet standing at the foot of the large bed, unbuttoning her jacket. She shrugged out of the garment and folded it neatly, laying it on the arm of the small couch.

"Do you like it?" she asked.

"Of course. It's beautiful. This bed…"

"It's ours," she interrupted. "We can live here for as long as we work for Omega Tech."

Klaus only stared at her with his mouth open, gulping for air like a goldfish. His first thought was that the girls would absolutely love living here.

"I'm sorry. I should've asked you first. I told them…" she bit her lip uncertainly. "I might've made a mistake."

He moved to take her into his arms. She had been so happy a second ago. "What?"

"I told them, well, they assumed that you and I were married, because of our names, I think, and I had told them about Sunny and Beatrice…you know, they asked about my family and they are my family. Anyway, I told them we were partners and they supposed I meant it in more than one way, I guess…and I didn't set them straight, Klaus. I didn't want to." She was close to tears now. "I lied."

"Hmm," Klaus hummed comfortingly. "Did you actually lie or did you let them think what they wanted?"

She scrunched up her face, trying to remember. "I guess, I didn't set them straight when they assumed."

"Sounds like a misunderstanding to me. Maybe we'll let them assume and just see what happens."

"But, they gave us this house in particular because they thought we are together and it only has two rooms."

"Is that a problem? I guess I was under the impression earlier today that you wouldn't mind sharing a bed with me?" he ducked down to nuzzle his nose into her neck. "Have your feelings changed toward me, Violet?"

She answered him with a kiss and he met her wholeheartedly, embracing her tightly, and still she wasn't as close to him as he would like her to be, so began to unbutton her silky blouse, her pants, unfastened her bra and pushed her panties down far enough that they fell to the floor on their own. He found himself just as naked as Violet and couldn't exactly remember how that had happened. He couldn't have said how they'd fallen into the large bed, either, but that it was as natural as if they had been doing it their whole lives.

Violet positioned herself over him, her slight weight warm and soft on his body, and this time felt so different, even from yesterday. It felt sure and right and he wanted her more than anything. He never wanted to stop kissing her. He reached behind her to pull the ribbon that held back her ponytail and her hair fell down around their faces, creating a dark, intimate shield between them and the world, making her feel comfortable enough to whisper another admission. "Klaus," she said against his lips. "I want this so much. I want us. I…I don't want to go back to the way we were before. I want us to be…"

"More," he answered. He gathered her hair to lay it smoothly down her back and he held it there when it threatened to fall back into his face.

She nodded, "But what are we? You're not just my brother."

"Yes, I am," he disagreed, "but…more."

"Boyfriend?" She said that with a dismissive laugh.

They had raised two infants together. He shook his head. "More."

"Partners?"

He nodded. "Yes, in everything, but…more?"

She shook her head shyly and closed her eyes when she said the word; "Husband?" She said that word with a hope that almost broke his heart. Any man would be lucky to have Violet as his wife. Blessed indeed! He was quiet so long that she looked down at him questioningly.

"What could I give you, Violet, that you don't already have? My name? My life? My heart? It's all yours." He gave her a brief kiss. "A vow? I can promise you right now that I will do everything in my power to make you happy, to keep you safe, to take care of our family the best that I can. I love you."

And he proceeded to make love with Violet, not caring what his official title was, just knowing that she was his everything. They were overwhelmed with the fortunes of the day, joyful at the happy prospects of their future together, and felt free in their utter aloneness in that large home to love each other in any way and as much as they pleased.

Klaus didn't feel the need to prolong the lovemaking, or to take control, but gave himself easily and freely over to the pleasure of being loved by Violet and just when her body had brought his to the brink of orgasm, she trembled sweetly over him, words of love spilling from her mouth, and he kissed her warmly as he came, unable and unwilling to hold back his groan of pleasure, her name on his lips, wanting her to know how good it was.

They laid in bed together for hours, touching, kissing, talking quietly together and then like most parents, whose electric need for each other had passed and their bodies sated, their thoughts and conversations turned toward the well-being of the children. They spoke of Sunny and Beatrice, making tentative plans for their schooling, for the move across the country, and things like finding new pediatricians and dentists to attend to their health needs, all mundane things that were actually comforting to speak about when spoken with someone who also cared equally.

Hunger eventually drove them from the bed in the end. Klaus couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten. He thought maybe it was the bits of chocolate that Violet had fed him with her fingers. Violet disappeared into the large bathroom while Klaus began to dress.

"Hey," Violet said, coming out of the bathroom and bending over to pick up something off the floor. "What's this?"

She held out the tourist shop bag that held the necklace he'd bought for her. He patted his pockets, checking for it even though he could see it right in front of him in her hand.

"It must have fallen out of my pocket," he answered, reaching for the bag. He felt embarrassed now by the small token. Today, Violet had been offered money, a car, an apartment, a phone, a job, and then more money. He didn't think she would care a single wit about the necklace he'd chosen for her.

But she pulled it back when he reached for it. "What is it?" she repeated, intrigued even more by the way he tried to get it back.

"It's nothing, Violet. Please?" He held out his hand again.

"If it's nothing…" she said, teasing as she opened the bag, "then you won't mind me taking a peek."

She pulled out the drawstring pouch and he could see she was definitely curious now. He tried to explain. "I…I just thought you might…I mean, I wanted to get you…"

But she had already poured the contents of the pouch into her hand and was turning the little charm over to see it better.

"Oh," she said, surprised upon seeing the pressed violet inside. "Is this for me, Klaus?"

He nodded. "It's not much, I know."

"No," she was nodding emphatically, "I like it," she said, running her forefinger over the little flower. "It's really pretty." She handed it back to him. "Will you put it on me?" She turned around so that he could fasten the little clasp, then he pulled her hair out from underneath the necklace. She turned to face him, straightening the little pendant so that it laid at the center of her chest. "How does it look?"

Still naked from their time in bed, she was wearing only the necklace, and Klaus was sure that he'd never seen anything lovelier. He wasted no time tearing off his clothes again, to Violet's amusement, and in dragging her back into bed with him, his growling stomach coming in second to other needs.

"Klaus!" she shrieked as they fell into a heap on the bed, laughing because they didn't make it very far, half on and half off the bed, yet he pressed her into the mattress, his hands caressing her bottom and thighs. "I thought you were hungry?"

He nodded, "I am," but he was trailing kisses across her belly, along her hip, but before he could go further she pushed him away to turn over and climb toward the middle of the bed. He caught up with her before she could lay back down, wrapping his arms around her middle and pulling her back to his chest. "All this time," he said, feeling regretful and hopeful at once. "If we had just known…if we had just said…we might have…" It was useless to say what might have been. He knew that. He let the thought slip from his mind and began a soft series of open mouthed kisses across her shoulder.

"From now on," Violet said.

"Hmm?"

"Our time together hasn't been wasted, Klaus. Instead of wishing for what could have been, though, let's say from now on."

"From now on…what?" he asked, just wanting to hear her say it. His mouth on her neck sent shivers down her spine and the small sound that Violet couldn't hold back at the sensation had Klaus very turned on.

"From now on I'll love you," she breathed.

He clasped a hip in each hand, pulling her bottom toward him, and she fell forward onto her hands. Her body was so very provocative in front of him and though he couldn't see it from this vantage point he imagined the way the violet charm swung from her neck. He touched her tenderly, his palms on her buttocks, then traced gently along the cleft of her bottom until he reached her slick entrance, then past, pausing a moment to rub circles over her swollen clitoris.

Soon, though, he pressed into her, running his hands up and down her thighs, her bottom, and over her back to palm her breast, liking the way it felt so heavy in this position and the way it bounced whenever he thrust into her. She was working with him, rocking backwards and picking up the pace until their breaths were heavy and loud and the bed was squeaking with their vigor. A fine sheen of sweat coated their bodies by the time Klaus was getting close and the feel of her tensing under him and a breathy plea of his name had him reaching around her and between her legs to help her along. She came so intensely that he had to press into her hard to keep from being pushed out and she was not quiet about it. Violet's voice and the sound of the bedsprings echoed through the room. She couldn't hold herself up anymore, collapsing forward onto the bed, but he was pulled with her and he laid heavily over her prone form, huffing out heavy, damp breaths into the sweaty skin of her back, thrusting until pulse after pulse emptied from his body into hers.

They took several moments to just breathe and Klaus was again reluctant to leave her warmth. He made up for his lazy departure with small kisses across her shoulder and over her ear, making her grin, and she looked just as relaxed as he felt.

"Maybe," she murmured drowsily, "we should just order pizza."

"You really are a genius. This is exactly why they pay you the big bucks," he said, teasing and nibbling on her earlobe. He rolled off her and onto his back and thought of something. "Hey, what exactly is the plan for getting home?" Their tickets had been for the next day, but she said it was all taken care of.

She stayed on her stomach, but turned her face toward him. Giving him a half smile, she said, "I think you've forgotten."

"Forgotten what?"

"We are home." God, he liked the sound of that. Starting a new life, a better life, with Violet in this home, in this city…well, it made his heart swell with happiness.

"That does sound good, but nowhere is home without Sunny and Beatrice," he answered and she beamed at him, leaning up on elbows to kiss his cheek. "Violet?"

"Hmm?"

"Tell me again," he requested, running a soft hand over her hair.

"What?" she teased. "Tell you how much money we have now? Tell you what a wonderful researcher you are?" He was grinning, but shaking his head. "Should I tell you how I like the way your body looks? Or how happy I am right now? Or how hungry I am? Or should I tell you that it's all going to be okay."

"No, tell me again that you love me."

"I'm afraid if I tell you that then we'll never leave this bed again and I'll eventually wither up from starvation and blow away."

He cradled her face, bringing it close to his, brushing his lips just over hers. "Please."

"I love you, Klaus," she finally said. "Welcome home."


End file.
